


Where's My Belt?

by mypurplethoughts



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 13:52:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17726444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypurplethoughts/pseuds/mypurplethoughts
Summary: Sasha Banks' championship belt goes missing, and she gets the help of almost every RAW Superstar to look for it.





	1. Chapter 1

Published on January 1, 2016

Sasha leaned against a production crate, a goofy smile on her face, as one of the production crew carefully removed Charlotte's gold plates on the RAW Women's Championship—replacing them with her own. "My friend's the champion, my friend's the champion!" Bayley sang, giving her a side hug as Sasha giggled. "Oh my gosh, this is so cool!"

"Bayley, look!"

"Oh my gosh," they both grinned as the red Boss plates were being screwed on.

"Is this one for me?" Bayley asked jokingly, taking one of the plates in her hands.

"Not yeeet," Sasha answered.

"I want the Boss one! Or we can put my face on this one."

"Uh, yeah."

"Or a thumbs up."

"Uh, who are you? Are you Layla and I'm Michelle?" Sasha asked.

"No, the other way around," Bayley replied.

"Why is it the other way around?"

"Because I'm taller!"

"Oh."

"Plus my ponytail."

"That's true."

Bayley smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll give you your moment," she told Sasha proudly before walking off. It hadn't even sunk in yet. She had just come from one of the most brutal matches in her career, forcing the crowd to be up on their feet the entire time, and it felt good. To top it off, management evened out the game and let her beat Charlotte in her hometown. The energy was just amazing, and Sasha nearly broke down crying when Ric Flair came out to applaud and hug her.

"Congratulations," the production crew handed her belt and smiled. "Your photo shoot should be down the hall," he gestured.

"Thank you!" Sasha beamed at him, placing the belt on her shoulder and running a hand through her hair.

She was starting to feel the effects of the match, and her lower back was aching. But she made her way over to where the shoot was set up, posing for the camera several times with the belt held high. When it was done, she made a beeline for the women's locker room to change out of her gear and into a plain white sweatshirt and jeans. Placing the belt carefully inside her duffle bag, she packed the rest of her things and made her way to catering to find Bayley.

"Boss," Seth greeted her along the hallway, a smirk on his face.

Sasha stopped in her tracks and sighed. "What."

"Nothing," he gave a smug look. "Just wanted to say congratulations."

"Thanks," she replied curtly, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, before continuing to walk away.

Seth snickered and walked alongside her—the scent of his perfume and a subtle hint of his hair gel invading her nostrils. "What do you want, Rollins?"

"Nothing. Why are you so pissy tonight?"

"I'm always pissy when it comes to you."

That made him cackle, and Sasha rolled her eyes again. It wasn't that she hated him—there were days they got along just fine. They hung out with the same set of friends after all. But there were moments where Seth took his teasing or his flirting too far, and it would always end up with her feeling humiliated or angry. Seth felt the same way, what with her wits and quick tongue, and he hated that out of all the women in the roster, she was the one who knew how to put him in his place. It was infuriating.

"Right," he grinned. "You know, you and Charlotte were pretty impressive out there—but I've got to admit. The ending was a little cheesy."

"Rollins, I'm pretty sure our match tonight topped yours and Owens' last week."

"Psh," he rolled his eyes and purposely bumped her sideways, which she returned by pushing him harder. He shoved her again, and this time, she stumbled a bit.

"Quit it!" she yelled, making him laugh.

"You're so fun to annoy, Banks. I swear."

"Look, I'm really tired. Can you just leave me alone, at least for tonight?" she sighed.

"Rollins, 1. Banks, 0," he grinned as they reached catering where Bayley and The New Day were waiting.

"There's the champ!" Xavier exclaimed, giving her a hug. "That was one wicked match, Boss."

"Yup. Pretty cold-blooded, if you asked me," Big E added.

"Come on, guys," Bayley stood up. "Sasha's exhausted. Let's head back to the hotel."

They all nodded, as Seth made a move to carry her bag but she refused. "Come on, Banks. I'm offering to help here," he cocked an eyebrow.

"No, thank you," she pulled her bag away.

Seth rolled his eyes and yanked it from her anyway.

"Hey!" Sasha glared at him, but Seth sarcastically gestured for her to go on. She scoffed and followed Bayley and New Day to the arena's parking lot, who all chose to ignore their banter. It was something they were used to anyway. Sometimes, when things got too far, or rather, when Seth said something that was a little out of line and pushed Sasha to tears, one of them would put a halt to it and always, Seth ended up apologizing to Sasha and treating her to coffee.

"Shot gun!" Bayley suddenly exclaimed before anyone could say anything.

"Goddamit!" Big E stomped his foot, and Bayley laughed. When they got to the van, Xavier slid in the driver's seat while Bayley grinned and hopped on the passenger's side. Big E slid open the door to the back and reclined the middle section to let Sasha in. Expecting Big E to follow her, Sasha was surprised when Seth hurriedly entered and pulled the middle seat backwards, locking them in.

"Jesus, Seth!" Sasha cried out in frustration. "What are you? 16? I told you to stay away!"

"Ha-ha-ha!" he leaned back against the headrest, his hands on his stomach.

Big E rolled his eyes as he and Kofi settled themselves in the middle of the van. "Such children," Kofi muttered.

"Why are you even here?" Sasha questioned him, sitting at the far end near the window and placing as much space as possible between them.

"Roman went ahead with Kevin and Chris," he shrugged. "And Cesaro went with Sheamus to some pub."

Sasha huffed, crossing her arms and looking outside the window. "Just…shut up, okay?"

"I never do, baby," he grinned, earning a slap on his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Settle down," Kofi glanced behind him, rolling his eyes, as Big E laughed.

"Seriously, guys. Don't make him play babysitter again. You know how he gets," Xavier said from the driver's seat.

"I'll behave when Rollins does," Sasha grumbled.

The rest of the trip was silent, and Sasha felt herself drifting off to sleep. Seth glanced sideways and noticed, and when he was sure she was deep in her slumber, he scooted closer—letting her head rest on his shoulder.

Kofi glanced back again. "Now isn't that nice?" he commented. "See, Seth? You two can get along just fine if you knew how to shut up."

"Or," Seth countered, "If she knew how to put her claws down."

When they arrived at the hotel, Seth gently shook Sasha awake. She blinked a couple of times before realizing that her head was rested on his shoulder. She pulled away quickly, glaring at him before adjusting her glasses.

He chuckled and waited as Big E reclined the middle seat again and let them out. "Thanks for the ride, guys," Sasha stifled a yawn.

"We're heading to the bar for a few drinks," Bayley told her. "Want to come with, or do you want to go ahead to the room?"

"I'm really tired," Sasha's shoulders were slumped. "I'll pass tonight, if that's alright."

"No, of course," Bayley handed the key to their room. "Go get some rest."

"Come on, Banks," Seth slung her bag against his shoulder and made a move towards the elevator.

"I can take it from here, Seth," Sasha held out her hand, waiting for him to return her bag.

He smirked at her, keeping her bag away from reach and it made Sasha even more frustrated as she attempted to get a hold of it a few times. Eventually, she gave up. "Seth, please. I just want to sleep. Please give me my bag back."

"And I told you, let's go," he placed an arm around her shoulders, waved goodbye to Bayley and New Day, and entered the elevator with Sasha. He leaned back on the railing as Sasha pressed the floor to their room with a huff. She really wasn't in the mood for any of his bullshit tonight, but he kept insisting, so as long as he wasn't going to be annoying, she could take him. Walking her to the room she shared with Bayley was a pretty decent gesture after all, and maybe he genuinely just wanted to help.

When they reached the hotel room, Sasha plopped down on one of the queen-sized beds and made a deep sigh.

"Where do you want this?" Seth asked her, holding the bag in his hands.

"Just there is fine," she gestured towards the couch. "Thanks, Seth."

"You going to be alright?" he asked, watching as she removed her shoes slowly and plopped down again.

"Yeah, I'm just going to crash," she said with eyes closed, feeling herself slowly drift off to sleep. He stood there, unmoving, as if hesitating to leave the room. Sasha could feel his gaze on her despite the fatigue, as she opened one eye. "Goodnight, Seth," she told him, hoping it gave him the hint.

"You know what?" he smirked. "I think I'll stay for a bit," he walked towards the couch and sat down, resting his head against his hands.

"And what? Watch me sleep? That's a little creepy even for you, Seth," Sasha frowned at him, her patience being tested. All she wanted to do was get some rest, and here he was, refusing to leave the room.

"Then sleep. I'll just be here," he smiled and gave a little wink.

"Ugh, you're insufferable," Sasha rolled her eyes and turned around, not wanting to face him.

It was past 1am when Sasha woke up to her phone vibrating—it was a text message from Seth that had the kiss emoji. Rolling her eyes, she turned to find Bayley already sleeping on her bed. Pulling up the covers to her chin, she ignored Seth's text message and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Bayley's alarm went off again as she snoozed for the fifth time. Groaning, she opened one eye and checked her phone, nearly falling off the bed. "Sasha!" she sat up quickly. "We slept in!"

Hearing those words, Sasha scrambled from her bed as well and began shoving clothes, makeup products, and toiletries in her bag. "Shit, Bayley! Did you snooze again?!"

"I'm sorry!" Bayley ran to the bathroom, changing out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a blue cardigan. Sasha did the same, pulling over the sweatshirt she wore from the night before coupled with a pair of grey leggings.

"Come on!" Sasha zipped up her suitcase and grabbed her duffle bag. "Let's go, before we miss our flight again."

The best friends sighed in relief as they made it to the airport a few minutes before the gates to their flight closed. They were headed to Mexico early to make a few appearances before the live show. "That was a close one," Bayley shook her head, smiling at the ground flight attendant before handing her boarding pass.

"I know," Sasha replied, doing the same as they boarded the plane.

When they got to their hotel in Mexico a few hours later, the two agreed to share a room again and settled their things in their respective sides. Sasha placed her suitcase on the floor space close to the wall, and her duffle bag on the bed. She opened it up to take out her toiletries, when she noticed that something was off. Everything seemed to be in place, but was there something missing?

"OH MY GOD, BAYLEY!" she exclaimed in panic, dumping all of the contents hurriedly on her bed and checking every single pocket in her bag.

"What? What happened?" Bayley ran to her side, eyes wide.

"THE BELT IS MISSING!" Sasha cried.


	2. Chapter 2

At the media event later that day, Sasha inwardly groaned as Seth was already seated on one of the chairs behind the long table. The empty seat right beside him was labelled in big, bold letters: SASHA BANKS.

"Great," she muttered under her breath, adjusting the Women's Championship Belt on her shoulder and blatantly ignoring him as she sat down.

He smiled a little awkwardly at her, which was bizarre considering this was Seth—she was so used to his smug looks, smirks, and cocky laugh. Moments later, they were joined by Cesaro, who gave her a nod and a polite smile before giving Seth a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Hello, Sasha," Cesaro sat to her right. "How are you today?"

"Just fine," she replied, placing the belt on the table. "I'm just happy I have this back."

Seth kept a straight face, though his ears started turning red as Cesaro laughed. "Well, yes. I'm glad it wasn't lost after all."

It was still a few minutes before the panel started as Cesaro leaned back and called out to Seth. "Hey, do you want to hit the gym later, man?"

"Yeah, I got a couple of hours to spare," Seth shrugged. "Sure."

Cesaro then looked at Sasha, who had already made herself busy looking through Instagram. "Sasha? Would you like to join us?"

"Oh," she looked up at him. "No, thank you. I already agreed to do CrossFit with Bayley and Charlotte."

"Where?" Seth suddenly asked.

Sasha ignored him and continued to look through Instagram.

Seth sighed. "Really, Sash? You're really playing the silent treatment with me? I think that's a little childish even for you."

Sasha scoffed and glared at him. "This coming from someone who stole someone else's Championship Belt and thinks it's funny? Yeah, real childish," she rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? It was low, and I didn't mean for you to panic like that."

"Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through just looking for it?" she hissed. "You can ask Cesaro. He can tell you," she looked at the Swiss superstar and sighed. "Can we switch seats, please?"

Cesaro slumped and pressed his lips together in a straight line. He really didn't want to be caught in between the two, but Sasha seemed desperate, so he agreed and took the seat beside Seth instead. "Sorry, man."

"Why are you apologizing to him? Don't apologize to him!" Sasha scolded. "He should be apologizing to you!"

"She's right," Seth said genuinely. "Sorry you had to go through the trouble of driving back to the arena just to check on it."

Cesaro chuckled and shook his head. "It was nothing."

Sasha crossed her arms and leaned back, having had enough of talking to Seth. God, he was so infuriating. There was really no coming back after what he did.

The media event went smoothly with interviewers asking the usual questions, and the three Superstars answered them as best as they could. Sasha was thankful she didn't have to interact with Seth as much, though they both put up a good front that they were close friends—fans loved it that way. At one point, one of the interviewers had asked Seth what he thought of Sasha as the Women's Champion.

Sasha wanted nothing more than to frown at that moment, but Seth cleared his throat and spoke on the microphone. "I think Boss here is one of the most talented Superstars I've ever seen. She's already accomplished so much, and to be honest, it's kind of intimidating how her matches with Charlotte seem to always one up mine and Kevin's."

"Not seem, Rollins. We always do," she interrupted with a smirk on her face to keep herself in character.

The crowd laughed as Seth smirked back at her.

"So is it safe to say that you'll be rooting for Sasha in her championship match tonight against Charlotte?" the interviewer asked.

"Of course," he gave her a smug look. "I mean, Team Sesha all the way, right?" he winked.

Sasha's face nearly fell—she was going to get him for that little comment. But she quickly recovered and rode on the joke. "Ha. That's right!" she told the audience, placing her belt on her shoulder and pointing at it.

After the panel, the three Superstars were led to an SUV that would take them back to the hotel. Sasha sat in between Seth and Cesaro and as soon as the doors shut close, Sasha faced Seth and slapped his shoulder. Hard.

"Ow, fuck!" he yelped.

"What the hell was that, Rollins?!"

"Here we go," Cesaro muttered and rubbed his temple, leaning back against his seat. This was going to be the longest 20-minute ride ever.

"It's bad enough that people on social media think we're together, you just had to add fuel to the fire," Sasha glared at him.

"Would you please relax? They all know it's a joke, alright?"

"Tell that to the people on Tumblr who keep Photoshopping our pictures together!"

Seth laughed out loud, causing another slap on his shoulder. "Ow, ow! Stop!" he held her wrists from inflicting further damage, and looked at Cesaro. "I could use a little help here, man."

"I'd rather not," Cesaro shook his head and wore his Beats By Dre headphones instead.

"You're such a child, Seth!" Sasha finally exclaimed, crossing her arms and giving a loud huff.

Seth cackled, but didn't say anything. At least she was talking to him again.

It was silent the first few minutes, before Seth looked to Sasha. She was busy staring out the window, watching the colorful mid-rise buildings they passed that made Mexico such a rich, cultural place. It was one of the greatest perks of their job—being able to travel and see the world. Sasha, for one, cherished these moments considering how she almost had nothing prior to joining the WWE.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Seth said suddenly, causing her to quickly face him with a surprised expression on her face. "I'm just saying," he shrugged.

"Sweet talking isn't going to get you out of this mess, Seth."

"I know," he looked out the window. "Just felt like being completely honest."

…

The live show was loud and filled with passionate fans as usual—right after the main event, most of the Superstars talked about getting a few drinks in before hitting the next city the following day.

"I don't feel like doing the hotel bar tonight," Charlotte stated.

"I second that," Bayley agreed. "We're in Mexico, baby! Maybe we can find a bar or pub nearby?" she suggested.

"Pass," Sasha shook her head. "I think I'm just about ready to crash."

"Aw, come on, Sash!" Xavier complained. "For a millennial, you've got a pretty old soul."

Sasha laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. One drink."

"There we go," Xavier grinned.

"One drink, Xavier," she repeated.

After freshening up at the hotel, the group met up again at the lobby. Sasha stepped out of the elevator in a strappy black dress that cut a bit low and ended right below her thighs. "God, why do you always have to slay?" Charlotte rolled her eyes, causing Sasha to giggle. It was no secret how Charlotte sometimes felt bitter about her age compared to the rest of the girls—but they always reminded her of what an incredible athlete she was and how they could never do some of the things she did in the ring.

The elevator bell rang again, and out came Seth in slacks and a dark blue polo together with Xavier, Sami, Kevin, Cesaro, and Sheamus.

"Who invited him?" Sasha asked lowly, glaring at Bayley.

"Wasn't me!" Bayley put her hands up in the air.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, he's treating the first round," Charlotte nudged her, which meant Seth had already made peace with her.

They walked a few blocks down and found a dim speakeasy that wasn't as crowded. Taking a seat at an empty booth that could fit their entire group, Seth made his way over to the bar in the middle of the room and ordered drinks for everyone. "I'll get eight beers, and a mojito," he told the bartender.

Moments later, Seth came back with a tray of their drinks. "Beer for everyone," he gently placed the tray down. "And a mojito for Sasha," he took the glass and placed it in front of her.

"Wow," Xavier commented. "Real subtle, Seth."

"She gets a mojito, and we're stuck with beer?" Charlotte protested.

Sasha fought the smile that was beginning to creep up—it was nice of Seth to notice her drink of choice every time they were out. "Drink up, Queen," Seth clinked his bottle against Charlotte's and took a seat. "We both know how much I owe this one," he nodded towards Sasha, who was seated in front of him.

"I hope you didn't poison this," Sasha teased, taking a sip.

"Careful, he could have spiked it with a love potion instead," Kevin snickered.

The group laughed, earning a glare from Seth. "Alright, shut up! Shut up, everyone!"

Sasha continued to laugh at him, and he smiled. It felt good that she was finally coming around.

A few rounds of beer later (and a couple of shots for Bayley and Charlotte), the two ladies found themselves on the dance floor as the rest of the group watched in amusement. "Great. Guess I'm playing babysitter later," Sasha playfully rolled her eyes.

She finished the rest of her drink, before excusing herself to go to the bathroom. Xavier scooted over and let her pass, as Seth watched her out of the corner of his eye. "Kevin, scoot," Seth ordered, gesturing for Kevin to move so he could leave the booth as well.

"She doesn't need a babysitter, dude," Kevin pointedly told him, staying in his position.

"Yeah, remember the last time?" Xavier reminded him. "Was that in Glasgow? She got pretty pissed off."

"Because she doesn't know how to say no, and can never tell when a guy is hitting on her!" Seth defended. "She tries to act all tough, that one. But we all know how naïve she can be."

"You know, Seth. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a little something for her," Sami pointed out with a grin.

Cesaro chuckled and agreed, looking to Sheamus. "You should have seen the tension this morning. I got caught right smack in between it."

Sheamus laughed and took a sip of his beer. "Come on, guys. Cut the man some slack. He's just being a protective older brother. We all feel that way, right?"

"Gross," Seth shook his head. "I don't see Sasha as a younger sister at all."

"Ha!" Kevin laughed. "So Sami was right. There is something!"

"No!" Seth denied. "Will you all just cut the crap? This is stupid."

From the bathroom, Sasha made her way back to their booth when a tall figure blocked her. "Hey. Sasha Banks?"

He was devilishly handsome, with dark locks, piercing hazel eyes, and a flawless smile that could land him a Colgate commercial. He seemed like he was on a business trip, dressed in slacks, a leather belt, and a white polo shirt with buttons loose at the top.

"Uh, hi," Sasha smiled awkwardly at him.

"Sorry, I'm just a really huge fan of yours."

"Oh," she felt her face flush. "Thank you."

"My name's Alex," he stuck a hand out, and she took it. "Can I buy you one drink?"

Normally, she declined these kinds of offers from strangers but Alex seemed like the genuine type—plus he was really, really cute. And if ever something went wrong, she could always cry for help and for sure, Xavier or Seth would come running. "Sure," Sasha shrugged, eyeing their booth which was a few meters away, before following Alex to the bar.

"I'll get a beer," he told the bartender. "And she'll have?"

"A mojito," she smiled.

"So, you guys came from the live show?" Alex started, pulling up a stool for her.

"Thanks," she hopped on. "Yup! We leave for Monterrey tomorrow."

"I loved your match with Charlotte last week," he commented, nodding at the bartender who handed them their drinks.

"Thank you. It was pretty brutal," she grinned, taking a sip.

"How long will you guys be here for?"

"Just until Sunday. We fly back for RAW in Austin. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm here on a business trip. I work in sales for a pharmaceutical company."

"Sounds interesting," Sasha commented.

Alex smiled at her. "It gets tough, but the traveling sure is a perk."

"Yeah, I love being able to see the world," Sasha agreed.

All of a sudden, her vision began to swirl and she felt herself wanting to throw up in that instant. Everything was hazy, and she grabbed on to the bar to keep herself steady. "Woah, are you alright?" Alex asked her, holding on to her shoulder to keep her from falling off.

"Yeah, that mojito was just a little too strong I think," Sasha shook her head, her vision getting worse. What the hell was happening? It was only her second drink for the night but it felt like she had zero control over her body, and she was starting to fade. "Ugh."

"Here," Alex helped her down the stool. "How about I drive for you? What's your hotel and room number?"

Sasha struggled and fought hard to keep herself awake. It may have been a generous offer, but she certainly didn't want to be driven home by a stranger, especially not in this situation.

"Hey," she heard a familiar voice, and even in her current state, she could tell that voice anywhere. "What's going on here?"

Seth looked beyond pissed when he found Sasha leaned against a stranger, close to passing out. "Sasha!" he took her in his arms and scowled at Alex. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Woah, sorry dude," Alex raised his hands up. "I don't want any trouble."

"Get out of here," Seth hissed, steadying Sasha against his shoulder. Alex walked away quickly, though he looked clearly disappointed.

"Hey," he asked Sasha gently. "What happened?"

Sasha could barely even lift her head as Seth balanced her in his arms. "Come on," he tried to keep his temper in check. If he saw that guy again, he wouldn't think twice to punch his perfectly lined teeth out. Half-carrying Sasha to their booth, their eyes widened when they saw her state.

"Woah, what happened?" Xavier asked, standing up.

"I found her like this with some asshole hitting on her," he looked to Kevin crossly. "She doesn't need a babysitter, huh?"

"Come on," Kevin stood up as well. "Let's get her home."

Cesaro and Sheamus fetched Charlotte and Bayley from the dance floor, who both slightly protested, before their group headed back to the hotel.

By this time, Sasha had passed out completely as Seth placed one arm under her knees and one under her neck, carrying her carefully. It was fairly easy, given her lightweight size.

"What happened?!" Charlotte panicked, seeing Sasha out cold in Seth's arms.

Seth ignored her and kept walking. When they reached the hotel, Bayley had sobered up and led the way to their room. "I don't understand how this could happen," she shook her head, watching as Seth placed Sasha down on her bed and began taking off her shoes.

"It was my fault," Seth started. "I should have stood guard when she went to the bathroom."

Charlotte shook her head. "This isn't your fault at all. God knows what could have happened if you didn't find her with that creep."

Bayley continued to remove Sasha's earrings and necklace, placing them on the side table, before pulling the covers to tuck her in. "Thanks, Seth."

"You mind if I stay for a bit?" he asked Bayley, who shook her head.

"No, not at all."

Seth nodded, took out his shoes, and laid down on top of the covers beside Sasha.

Charlotte smiled lightly, before saying goodnight and leaving the room, but only after telling Bayley to text her when Sasha was awake. Sasha had given them quite the scare, and when she was sober, she would definitely be getting a long lecture on never taking candy (or drinks) from strangers.

"You good there, Seth?" Bayley asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he rested his head against his hands.

"That scared you, didn't it?"

He looked to Bayley and shrugged, but didn't say anything.

"I'm just going to change," Bayley headed towards the bathroom. "Don't steal anything."

"Ha-ha," Seth rolled his eyes, turning to face Sasha. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, as she peacefully snoozed, unaware of how she had frightened him tonight. Half of him wanted to yell at her, but the other half was just relieved she was safe—he'd probably leave the yelling to Charlotte in the morning. Right now, he just didn't want her to leave his sight.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sasha, I think you're jumping to conclusions there," Bayley chastised the younger Superstar.

"Think about it!" Sasha insisted. "He was the last person to hold my bag last night when I crashed."

Bayley furrowed her brows. That was true. But she came in after drinks with New Day to find him peacefully asleep on their couch. "Sash, I got back to our room and he was asleep."

"Yeah, but what happened when you woke him up?

Kevin, Sami, Roman, and Chris leaned in and listened intently. The situation was getting really intriguing, and for someone like Seth Rollins to fall asleep in a girl's room without anything happening? That was plenty interesting.

Ignoring the boys' curious faces, Bayley tried to think again—she was a little tipsy, but not drunk enough that she couldn't remember what happened the night before.

"Well, I woke him up. Asked what he was still doing in our room, and he said he just wanted to make sure you were okay because you were dead tired from your match," Bayley recalled. This put a smirk on the guys' faces. "Then he said goodnight and that he'd head back to his room, then I went to the bathroom and got ready for bed," she shrugged.

"Did he leave the room before or after you entered the bathroom?" Sasha pressed.

"Oh, um," Bayley bit her lower lip. "He was still in the room. When I got out, he was gone."

"THEN HE HAS MY BELT, BAYLEY!" Sasha fumed, making a move to stand up.

"Now hold up, baby girl," Roman stopped her, taking her wrist gently and coercing her to sit down again. "I know you and Seth have a love-hate relationship going on, but I really don't think he would sink that low."

"He's done worse, Roman!" Sasha scoffed. "He's been the company's biggest bully since I got called up. Everyone in this table knows that."

"She has a point," Kevin shrugged. "Seth's always been a bit of a jackass to her."

"Not always," Bayley defended, and Sasha quickly turned to her best friend with a glare.

"Dude, you're supposed to be on my side."

"Look, I know you think Seth is nothing but a jerk, but I've seen how he is and he's really not that bad."

"Uh, maybe to you!" Sasha was beginning to get frustrated. Why was her best friend taking Seth's side instead of hers? Did he recruit her to be his runner or something?

"Can we get back to the real issue here?" Chris interrupted.

"Yes," Sasha agreed. "Where's Rollins?"

"Oh, I meant him falling asleep in your room last night," Chris grinned, causing Sasha to roll her eyes.

"I don't see how that's the real issue," she crossed her arms.

"Sasha," Bayley started again. "I know you might not believe it, but Seth has always been looking out for you."

"What?!" Sasha exclaimed. "Uh, since when, Bay?"

"Do you remember that time I accidentally left you behind at the arena because I thought you were riding with New Day but it turns out, you fell asleep in the women's locker room? I called every single person I could, and it was Seth who turned around and drove back for you."

Sasha clenched her jaw but didn't say anything—she remembered that night, and to be honest, she was thankful he came to get her otherwise it would have been a real struggle trying to get an Uber to the next town that late in the night. But that didn't mean all was forgiven, considering how much he still bullied her during that trip.

"Don't forget that time he kept taking the tequila shots that Xavier kept insisting you drink," Roman added. "He got so messed up—I had to half-carry him back to our room."

Sasha almost giggled at the memory—that was true, too. Though at the moment, it was still hard to believe that Seth always had the best intentions for her. She'd be lying if she said she never saw those little gestures that may have proved he cared, but right now, all she could think of was her belt, and that the last person who held the bag where it was in was Seth.

Sasha sighed. "Can we just find him?" she said. "If he doesn't have it, then I'll give up the search and call Hunter."

"And if he does?" Kevin asked.

"I will slit his throat, and cut him in half."

…

Seth groaned at the loud knocks coming from outside his hotel room. He had fallen asleep as soon as he landed in Mexico, and had planned on sleeping in until his appearance and interview the next morning. It wasn't every day that he had a chance to get as much sleep on a bed just like he did at that moment, considering how much their lives were fleeting and spent on the road 24/7.

Rubbing his eyes awake and pulling on a pair of boxers, he sauntered over to the door to open it, only to find the fascinated faces of Chris, Sami and Kevin, the hesitant faces of Roman and Bayley, and the very irate face of Sasha.

Shit.

Sasha.

He gulped. "Um, hi?"

Sasha ignored him and stormed inside his room, looking around. She made her way over to his sports bag, but just before she could open it, Seth stopped her and grabbed the bag from her hands. "Easy there, Banks."

"Where is it?" she asked in a low voice that made Seth even more nervous.

"Okay, so look," Seth started, holding his hand up to calm Sasha down. "Before you go all beast mode on me, just let me explain, okay?"

"WHERE IS IT, SETH?"

"I have it!" he raised his hands up, opening his bag to reveal the Women's Championship.

Bayley and Roman's eyes widened in disbelief, but all Sasha could see was red. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" she lunged forward and tried to spear Seth, but Seth ducked out of the way and Bayley held on to her friend tightly.

"Calm down, Sash!"

Sasha tried to fight Bayley's grip, as she struggled to get to Seth. Eventually, she got exhausted and broke down in tears. "I hate you, Seth," she cried, taking a seat on his bed and covering her face with her hands.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Seth apologized, kneeling in front of her, which was a mistake because as soon as he did, she slapped him—causing him to stumble backwards. "Ow, okay. I deserved that one."

Sasha continued to cry, as Bayley sat down beside her and tried to console her best friend. She gave Seth a disappointed look, before making eye contact with Roman, who also seemed bummed that he and Bayley were wrong after trying to convince Sasha that he wouldn't do such a thing.

"Why, Seth?" Bayley asked softly.

"I swear to god, it was just a joke. I went back to your room this morning to return it, but you guys were already gone. I figured you had an early flight, and instead of calling to let you guys know I had it, I thought it would have been better to explain myself in person," he looked down remorsefully. "I'm so sorry, Sash. I didn't mean to let it get this far."

Sasha sniffled, seized her belt hastily from him, and walked out of the room without a word.

"Fuck," Seth shook his head, taking a seat on the floor and running his hand through his hair.

Bayley sighed and shook her head at Seth, before following Sasha out. The rest of the guys didn't know what else to say, so they looked at him apologetically and walked out of the room as well. Only Roman stayed to confront his friend.

"Why would you even do that, brother?" Roman took a seat on the small couch near the window.

"I don't know," Seth placed both his hands on his head. "I know it wasn't a funny joke, but I did it anyway."

"You know you can be a real jerk sometimes?" Roman chuckled. "Man, after I defended you and said you wouldn't dare to go that low."

Seth grumbled but said nothing.

"What was the point of that, even? What did you think you were going to accomplish?"

"Some sick, twisted way to get her attention, maybe?" Seth suggested.

"Grow up, little brother," Roman sighed. "If you wanted her attention, clearly that's not the way to do it."

With a groan, Seth brushed his hair back again. "What am I going to do now? I doubt she'd ever speak to me again."

"Just give it some time. Sasha acts all tough, but we both know she's a softie deep inside."

"I need to make it right," Seth shook his head.

"Well, maybe you can start by cutting all the bullshit and just being a good friend to her?"

…

The next morning, almost every Superstar had heard about what happened. Thankfully for Seth, none of them were that upset or angry—except Charlotte who warned him that if he pulled something like that again, she would cut his balls off.

After breakfast, he made his way over to Bayley and Sasha's hotel room with three cups of coffee. It wasn't exactly the best peace offering, but it was a start.

Knocking on their door a few times, Bayley came to answer it.

"Hi, Bay," Seth greeted almost sheepishly. "Sasha there?"

"She's getting ready for the media panel," she stepped aside to let him in. "I think you guys are in the same one?"

"Yeah, I was going to offer her a ride."

Bayley pursed her lips. "I don't think she's there right now."

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and out came Sasha wrapped in a white towel—her wet, purple hair wrapped in another. Seth swallowed hard and tried not to stare. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I brought you coffee," he offered, but she rolled her eyes and walked to her suitcase to grab a white and blue printed dress from one of her sponsors, Pink Boutique. She entered the bathroom again without saying another word.

Seth sighed. "Can you talk to her for me?" he looked to Bayley.

"Not right now, Seth," she shook her head. "If I did that, I'd be on the other side of her cold shoulder and we both know that's not a fun place to be in."

He sighed again before placing the coffee down on the mini dining table. "You can ignore me all you want, Sash!" he said loud enough for her to hear. "But I will not be stopped until I make things right!"

With that, he nodded his head at Bayley and left the room.

A few seconds later, Sasha's head popped out of the bathroom and found Bayley looking at her smugly.

"What?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Bayley shook her head.

"Spit it out, Bay."

"Nothing. It's just going to be an interesting few days with Rollins trying to get you to talk to him," she giggled while giving Sasha a knowing look.

"Will you quit playing matchmaker?!" Sasha groaned in frustration, slamming the door in Bayley's face.

Bayley threw her head back and laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where is it?" Sasha continued to cry, staring at the now empty duffle bag on the floor. "I know I put it in there."

"Are you sure?" Bayley asked, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "Maybe you accidentally left it at the arena?"

"I don't think so!" Sasha shook her head. "I wouldn't be that stupid to leave the belt there," she wiped the tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god, Hunter is going to kill me!"

"Ssshhh," Bayley rubbed her back assuringly. "No, he won't. Let's back track. So the last time I saw you with the belt was when they were screwing the plates on," she started.

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, and then I had a photo shoot and I know I still had it with me until I changed in the women's locker room."

"Are you sure you didn't leave it there?"

Sasha scrunched her forehead and tried her best to remember. She was so exhausted the night before—her memory was lapsed, but she was so sure she placed it carefully inside her bag, tucked in between a set of extra clothes. "I know I put it in my bag. I just know it."

Bayley sighed. "Let's find someone to call. Maybe someone's still there to check on it."

Sasha nodded and took out her phone, calling Charlotte.

"Hi, babe," Charlotte answered after two rings.

"Babe!" Sasha sniffled a bit. "Are you still home?"

Charlotte was having coffee with Becky, as she put Sasha on speaker. "Yeah, I'm with Becky."

"Ey, Sash!" Becky greeted.

"Listen," Sasha bit her lower lip. "I need your help."

Charlotte's protective older sister instincts came out as she sat up, looking at Becky worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"The championship belt is missing," Sasha's voice cracked again. "I put it in my bag last night, and now it's gone."

"What?!" Charlotte furrowed her brows. Though a small part of her wanted to tease Sasha about it, she knew it wasn't the time or place so instead, she tried to get her friend to calm down. "Are you sure you put it inside your bag?"

"Yes!" Sasha nodded her head eagerly. "I swear."

Charlotte pursed her lips. "Maybe we can have someone check the women's locker room at the arena—is there any place you might have accidentally left it?"

"It's a belt! How can I accidentally leave something like that behind?!" Sasha snapped.

"Relax, Sasha" Charlotte reprimanded. "We'll get help. Try calling Sheamus or Cesaro—I know they're leaving for Mexico later tonight. I have to be at the airport in an hour, but I'll call my dad. We'll find it, alright?"

Sasha pouted and felt a little relieved. "Okay. Thanks, babe."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it will turn up somewhere."

"What if we never find it?" her tears were starting to well up again.

Charlotte sighed. "Let's find out first if the belt is at the arena, alright? Once we're sure it's not there, let's figure out our next move."

…

"Sasha Banks, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Cesaro answered his phone with a smile. Beside him at the hotel restaurant, Sheamus looked on curiously. "No, Sheamus and I are leaving for the airport after dinner. We're just killing time."

On the other line, Sasha tried not to sound too desperate. "If you're not too busy, can I ask you guys for a huge favor?"

"Of course, Sasha. What do you need?"

"Um, would it be alright if you guys headed back to the arena to check with them if there were any belts lost or misplaced?"

"Belts?" Cesaro repeated. "What kind of belt?"

"Uh, the Women's Championship."

Cesaro burst out laughing as Sheamus glared at him and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Who's this?"

"It's Sasha."

"Oh hey, Sasha," Sheamus' mood lightened. "I don't know why my partner here is laughing, but did you need anything?" he asked in his thick Irish accent.

Sasha groaned. "Can you just check with the guys at the arena, and ask if the belt was found? I just need to know."

"Sasha," Cesaro took his phone back. "How could you have left it there?"

"I didn't!" she said defensively, shaking her head. "I am a hundred percent sure I packed it inside my bag, but Bayley, Charlotte and Becky all seem to think I misplaced it!"

"Alright, calm down. We'll go to the arena in a bit. I'll call you when we get there," Cesaro assured her.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief.

"Come on," Cesaro stood up and sipped the last of his coffee, pulling Sheamus up before he could even finish his.

At the arena, Cesaro and Sheamus talked to a few backstage guys and requested to check the lost and found items, catering, and the women's locker room. Cesaro took out his phone and dialed Sasha's number, "Hey, Sasha," he greeted when she picked up. "Place is empty," he told her. "The crew here all said that the rooms had nothing when they cleared the arena after RAW. I'm sorry."

Sasha, who was waiting in her room with Bayley, started tearing up again. "Nooo," she cried, looking at Bayley to shake her head. "They got nothing."

"Aw, don't cry, Sasha," Cesaro looked at Sheamus and gestured that Sasha had begun crying.

Sheamus sighed, taking the phone from his partner. "Hey, how about Cesaro and I treat you to a pint when we see you, ey? How about that?"

Sasha sniffed. "That's really sweet but thanks, guys. I appreciate you driving all the way to the arena just to check on it."

"No problem, Sasha," he handed the phone back to Cesaro.

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Cesaro offered.

"No, you guys have done enough," Sasha replied. "Thank you so much. I owe you both coffee."

Cesaro chuckled and shook his head. "No need. We'll see you in Mexico," he told her before hanging up the phone.

…

"Xavier?"

"What's up, Sash?" Xavier pressed his phone to his ear while playing a Mario game on his PSP. He sat in the waiting area of the airport with Big E and Kofi, waiting to depart for Mexico.

"By any chance, did you guys check if the van you rented last night was empty?"

"Oh hold up," Xavier gave his phone to Big E. "Sasha's asking if the van was empty last night," he told him with a shrug.

"Hello?" Big E answered. "Why? Did you leave something?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure."

"Well, I was the last one there and I double checked it. Nothing seemed to be out of place."

Sasha sighed. "Okay, thank you."

"What's wrong? Did you lose something?"

"Nothing," Sasha shook her head. "Never mind. Thanks, E," she said before putting down the phone and looked to Bayley. "We have an appearance tomorrow. What am I going to say when fans start asking where my belt is?"

"I'm pretty sure we can get you a replica or a duplicate temporarily," Bayley suggested. "Why don't you just call Hunter?"

"No!" Sasha refused, shaking her head. "Bayley, I know I packed it, okay? I know I brought it with me."

"Then if you did, where is it?"

Sasha sighed. Was it possible for a belt that big to even fall out of her bag? Why couldn't she believe that she lost or misplaced it? Maybe because she really didn't, she convinced herself. "It was there, Bayley. I know it was," she said softly, feeling a little hurt that none of her friends believed her.

Heading down to the hotel lobby, they bumped into Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Chris Jericho. "Hey, Sasha," Chris called out to them. "Charlotte called. We heard about what happened," he said sympathetically, placing an arm around her.

She looked down and pouted. Now the whole locker room knew what an irresponsible champion she was—sure the story lines and match outcomes were pre-determined, and it wasn't like anyone was going to feel disappointed or angry with her (except maybe Hunter). But it felt awful knowing she lost something that was such a prestigious symbol to their division. To the company, even.

"If you want, I can talk to Hunter for you," Chris offered. "I'm sure he won't be that upset."

"No, I'll do it," Sasha slumped. "I should do it. But thank you though."

Chris nodded and gestured for them to join their group to get coffee and snacks. They had plenty of time to kill, since they were the early group. All their appearances would start tomorrow, but at least it gave them more than enough time to settle down and rest.

"By the way, have you seen Rollins anywhere?" Kevin asked her and Bayley. "We're supposed to meet up now and talk about our dark match with Sami."

Bayley shrugged. "I wasn't able to catch his schedule. Last I saw him, he was asleep on our couch when I got back from the bar," she glanced at Sasha, who was spacing out. Bayley had a small smirk on her face, as she nudged her best friend. "What was that all about?"

"What?" Sasha broke out of her thoughts and looked into the curious faces of her friends. "What are we talking about?"

"Seth," Bayley repeated. "Why'd he fall asleep on the couch when I got back last night?"

And just like that, Sasha felt like she had been punched in the gut. Seth. Seth was the last person to hold her bag right before she fell asleep—the bag where she carefully packed the championship belt inside. The bag that he insisted he carry the whole time. It all came back to her—him taking her bag after she changed in the women's locker room, him taking it again after they rode with New Day, him placing it on the couch—the same couch he fell asleep in. It all made sense now. Her memory wasn't lapsing, she wasn't delusional, and she certainly wasn't the irresponsible champion she thought she was.

"I KNOW WHERE MY BELT IS!" she yelled in frustration, gripping Bayley's shoulder hard. "SETH ROLLINS TOOK IT!"


	5. Chapter 5

Sasha woke up with a splitting headache. It was 5 in the morning, and the sun wasn't even up yet. Blinking a few times, she realized she had fallen asleep with her contacts on and her eyes felt dry and itchy as she rubbed them. She was still wearing her black dress too, which was unusual. Glancing to the right, she found Bayley asleep in her bed under the covers, and she tried to remember how she got to her own bed after last night. Shifting her position, she wondered why her bed felt tighter than usual, as she glanced to the other side and found a familiar dark-haired figure in a dark blue polo asleep on top of her covers, snoring lightly. His back was turned, and she had to narrow her eyes to get a better look at him.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed as soon as she recognized who it was, sitting up and pushing Seth off the bed, causing him to land on the side with a loud thump.

"Ow, what the fuck!"

The movement caused Sasha's head to spin further, as Bayley woke up in panic and found Seth scrambling to get to his feet while Sasha looked at him with a horrified expression. "What the hell are you doing on my bed?!"

"Sorry," Seth tried to get his bearings, realizing the situation. "I meant to leave last night," he said, rubbing his eyes awake. His bum hurt from the fall, but they didn't need to know that. Sasha glared at him as he rolled his eyes. "Relax. Nothing happened."

"I think you owe him an apology, Sash," Bayley spoke, earning a curious stare from Sasha.

"What? Why? He's the one who snuck in here."

"You don't remember anything?" Bayley asked. "Sash, you got drugged by some pervert last night. If Seth didn't find you, something bad could have happened. We'd probably still be out looking for you!"

"What?" Sasha furrowed her brows, trying to recall the previous night. The last thing she remembered was going to the bathroom before meeting a handsome guy named Alex and having a drink with him, and from there, everything else was a blur. She swallowed hard and glanced at Seth as he sighed and took a seat beside her. She felt bad all of a sudden, muttering a low, "Sorry."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "How are you feeling?"

"My head just hurts," she said softly, making a move to lie down again. She was still in denial about what had happened. How could she have been so stupid? Realizing the rest of their friends probably knew about it too, she lifted the covers up and hid her face. Tears began to form and she tried not to let Seth and Bayley know, but her soft whimpers and sniffs gave her away. God, she felt so easy and dumb. She could already hear Charlotte's disappointed voice in her head.

Bayley looked at Seth with a worried expression, taking a seat on the foot of Sasha's bed. "Hey," she rubbed her leg gently. "Don't cry, Sash. It's alright. You're okay."

"Do you want me to leave?" Seth asked her, placing a hand on her arm, half-expecting her to shrug it off. To his surprise, she didn't.

"You can stay," he heard her mumble under the covers.

Bayley smiled at him as they waited for Sasha to come around. Eventually, she pulled the covers down—her eyes puffier and redder. "Why don't you go get changed, take out your contacts, and I'll get you something for your headache?" Bayley suggested.

Sasha nodded, smiled awkwardly at Seth, before sauntering to the bathroom. Changing into boxer shorts and a loose shirt, she carefully removed her contacts and pressed her glasses to her face before brushing her teeth. When she emerged, she found Seth and Bayley on her bed laughing softly at something. She tried to ignore the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, blaming her headache instead as she glared.

"What are you guys talking about? Are you making fun of me?"

"What?" Seth cocked an eyebrow. "Of course not. Relax, Banks."

Bayley stood up with a sigh and handed her an Advil for her headache. "Here, take this. There's water on the table. You'll feel better."

Sasha thanked her sheepishly and drank the medicine before sliding back under the covers. She glanced at Seth, who didn't move from his upright position, head leaning against her bed's headboard. "What?" he asked. "Do you want me to move?"

With a soft sigh, she shook her head and closed her eyes, turning away from him. She didn't want to admit it, but she owed him and she only hoped he wouldn't rub it in her face.

…

Later that day, to Sasha's surprise, it was as if nothing had happened. Cesaro and Sheamus smiled at her, and told her they still owed her a pint from when she thought she lost her belt, to which she thanked but politely declined. Sami and Kevin gave her a casual nod while Xavier greeted her like he always did—lending his PSP as usual as they waited for their flight to Monterrey.

Even Charlotte said nothing, despite telling Bayley that she would give the younger Superstar a lecture. Sasha wasn't sure why they acted the way they did, but she was thankful to say the least. She didn't want to be reminded of her stupidity, and her friends seemed to have respected that.

Looking up from the airport's waiting area, she found Seth seated alone at the far end, headphones over a black beanie, and watching something on his iPad. He was dressed casually in shorts and a Pierce the Veil shirt, tapping his foot on the ground every so often.

"Thanks, Woods," she handed Xavier's PSP back to him. "I'll just go over there and bug Rollins."

"Anytime, Sash," Xavier nodded, taking the PSP and continuing her game.

Sasha made her way over to the airport café first and bought two cups of coffee—one black and one flat white, before walking towards Seth. She was just in jeans and a simple white shirt, and it took him a while to realize she was standing in front of him. When he did, his eyes widened a little. "Hey Sash," he greeted, removing the headphones.

"Um, hey," she said, giving a half-smile. "Uh, I got you coffee," she handed him the cup of black.

Seth tried to hide his surprise and took it. "Wow, thanks," he spoke, gesturing for her to sit down beside him.

"Sorry about this morning," she started, looking down at the floor sheepishly.

"It's cool," he laughed it off, taking a sip and enjoying the warmth.

"And uh, about last night? Thank you," she nodded, looking up to smile at him. "It was so stupid. I never should have gone with him in the first place. Ugh," she shook her head. "I'm so embarrassed right now."

"Hey," Seth placed a hand on her back to comfort her. "Don't worry about it, alright? Let's just pretend it never happened," he winked.

Sasha grinned and laughed a bit. "It was you! You told everyone not to mention anything about last night, didn't you?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Seth shook his head and took a long gulp of his coffee, though his eyes gleamed.

"Well, thank you again," she gave his shoulder a light punch. "It was real sweet of you."

"See? I'm not always an asshole," he teased, earning another laugh. He loved her laugh, to be honest. It had a way of lighting up an entire room, to the point that it infected everyone. Maybe that was one of the reasons why she was everyone's darling—she had a unique ability to make you feel warm and fuzzy, and talking to her always seemed like a breeze.

"Yeah, you're not so bad," she leaned back against her seat.

"So, we're cool?" he asked her, sticking a hand out.

She nodded, giving it a firm shake though she felt her fingers tingle a little. "Yeah, we're cool."

Seth smiled at her and turned back to his iPad. "Uh, you want to watch? I just started a new episode of Breaking Bad."

"Yes!" Sasha's eyes lit up, scooting closer. "I love that!"

"Here," Seth packed his headphones and took out a pair of earphones instead. Handing one of the buds to her, she took it and placed it on her right ear as Seth placed the other on his left and adjusted the volume. He balanced the iPad on his knee, angling it so that Sasha could see. She scooted even closer, her cheek almost resting on his shoulder, and he could smell the scent of her shampoo already.

Picking fights with her was always the highlight of his day, but maybe this whole being a good friend to her was even better.

…

RAW aired in Austin two days later, as Sasha sat backstage in front of one of the monitors, watching Seth open the show. She wasn't scheduled to fight that evening, but she would have an interview and a promo with Ric and Charlotte later on.

His match with Big Show was halfway done when Bayley took a seat beside her; a huge grin on her face. "Hey, bestie."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I just got off the phone with Aaron. We finally decided on a date for the wedding," she squealed.

"Oh my gosh!" Sasha exclaimed, giving her best friend a hug. "I am so freaking excited for you!"

"We're thinking of doing just a small wedding at his home in February, right before the Wrestlemania European Tour starts. We'll have some downtime then."

"Wow, that's in two months," Sasha was in disbelief. "Have you started planning?"

Bayley shrugged. "It shouldn't be that much of a problem. We've always wanted something simple and low key anyway—invite over a few family and friends, have a barbecue in the backyard, get everyone loaded up with beer. That kind of stuff," she giggled.

Sasha grinned. "Sounds fun. I'm so happy for you, Bay."

"Thank you," she beamed. "Listen, the reason I'm telling you this is because I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, anything."

"I was hoping you'd be my Maid of Honor."

"Are you kidding me?!" Sasha's eyes lit up as she squealed and nearly squeezed her best friend in half. "Of course!" she answered, tearing up a bit. Bayley started getting teary-eyed as well, as they hugged and giggled at the same time.

"What are you girls crying about?" came a familiar drawl. They looked up to find Seth fresh from his match, still shirtless with messy hair and the sweat dripping from his broad chest.

"Just cheesy wedding stuff," Bayley replied with a grin.

"Psh," Seth answered, though his eyes were smiling. "I'll catch you guys later," he said, walking off to take a shower and change.

"So when in February?" Sasha continued their conversation, trying not to let her eyes linger on Seth's bare back.

"It'll be on the 9th. It's a Thursday, but at least we'll have time to settle after RAW that week, and enough time to rest before we head to RAW the following week."

"Sounds good," Sasha nodded, making a mental note.

"Oh, and as my Maid of Honor, you get a +1."

Sasha laughed and made a face. "Thanks, Bay. But I don't need it. We both know I have no one to bring."

"Are you sure?" Bayley raised an eyebrow.

"Positive."

"Hm, I can think of someone."

"Please. Enlighten me."

"I think he goes by the name Seth Rollins."

"BAYLEY!" Sasha smacked her best friend in the arm, making her laugh, though her cheeks had already turned a crimson red.


	6. Chapter 6

Sasha sat at the very back of the arena the following week at RAW. The show had just ended, and crew members began clearing out as she sat cross-legged on a production crate, the belt beside her. Her shoulders were slumped and she wiped away some of the tears that had formed, holding back a sob. It was dark and secluded, so nobody had to know the company's cry baby was at it again. It was pathetic, how she got upset and emotional so easily, but what she didn't realize was how it also made her incredibly good as a character. She portrayed such a cool and confident badass but at the same time, her ability to show real and raw emotions was what got the WWE Universe hooked in the first place.

She sighed. She probably should be getting ready—Bayley would be looking for her any second now.

"Boss?" she heard the familiar voice of Seth, and she quickly sat up, making sure she had wiped away all her tears.

"What?" she snapped, hiding the crack in her voice.

"Hey, come on now. What happened to us being cool?" he raised an eyebrow and walked over, hopping on the production crate she was on.

"Sorry," she muttered, shaking her head. "Just having a weird night, that's all."

"Were you crying?" Seth looked at her concerned.

"Uh, no," she shook her head again. "Did you need something?"

"Well, your girl Bayley was looking for you. She went ahead—said something about Skyping her boytoy."

"She left me?" Sasha said in disbelief. She didn't need any more reason to pity herself, though she fought back the tears. Usually, it was Bayley who knew what to say to her in these types of situations, and she was hoping she could get some words of wisdom from her best friend tonight. She certainly didn't feel like crying in front of Seth, despite the newfound level of their friendship. For all she knew, this was Bayley's way of playing matchmaker again, and it slightly pissed her off.

"I got you. You can hitch with me," he said, giving her an assuring nod. "What's with the pissy attitude tonight?"

"I'm not pissy, Seth."

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"Just stop."

"What's wrong?"

"I said stop!" Sasha glared before suddenly looking down apologetically. "Sorry," she muttered.

Seth sighed. "Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, it's cool. But I'm always here to listen if you need it, alright?" he told her. "Come on. It's getting late," he watched her hop down the crate.

After telling him she'd meet him in 10 minutes, she hurried over to the women's locker room to change out of her gear into skinny jeans and an oversized John Cena sweatshirt. Washing her face and making sure all the makeup was removed, she wore her glasses and grabbed her bags before following Seth out to the parking lot. He wanted to make a snide comment about the sweatshirt she was wearing, but decided against it—not while she was still upset. Hearing the doors of the rental car unlock, she opened it and slid inside the passenger's seat, watching him start the car.

Their car ride was silent, as Seth cruised his way through the streets of Philadelphia. He glanced at her once in a while—she was definitely in a mood tonight. Her usual energy wasn't there, with lips pursed and face all scrunched up, and she seemed to be deep in thought. Making a left turn instead of a right that would have led them straight to their hotel, he made a few more turns and slowed down at a burger joint that was still open.

Sasha furrowed her brows and looked at him curiously. "What's this? Did you not eat at catering tonight?"

"Well, if you're not going to talk to me about what's bothering you, at least let me buy you ice cream or something," he opened the door and stepped out of the car, waiting for Sasha to do the same. "Come on, Banks. Get out of the car, and just let me buy you an ice cream or whatever it is you feel like eating. This kind of attitude doesn't suit you."

With a huff, she did as she was told and followed Seth inside the joint. It was near empty, save for a few college students doing some group work while munching on fries and burgers. Leading them to a table at the corner, Seth ordered a cheeseburger while Sasha got a vanilla milkshake.

When their food arrived, she quickly sipped on her drink and let the thick, sweet taste comfort her. There was nothing like a good vanilla milkshake to make you feel better, and a small smile crept up her face before continuing to drink wholeheartedly.

"There it is," Seth spoke—his eyes and smile were teasing.

Sasha playfully made a face and scrunched her nose. "I think you're getting a little soft, Seth. What happened to all the teasing? Thought you loved making my life miserable?"

"Yeah, I still kind of do," he shrugged. "But then I realized making you smile is so much better," he winked.

Sasha almost choked on her shake and lowered her head to hide the blush that was forming.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Seth threw his head back and cackled. "Look at you, Banks. Blushing like a silly, little girl," he shook his head. It was one of his favorite things to do, to be honest—getting a reaction from her just like that. But then again, Sasha had become his favorite person in the company, right before Cesaro and Roman, so anything that involved Sasha Banks, he got himself pretty invested.

"Ugh, I hate you," she rolled her eyes playfully, slapping his shoulder and causing him to laugh again.

"So," he started on a more serious note, offering some of his fries but she shook her head and declined. "Are you going to tell me what got you all upset tonight?"

Sasha looked at him and pouted as he continued, "Come on. There were tears back there. Don't deny it. What happened? Do you need me to curb stomp anybody?"

She laughed gently and shook her head. With a loud sigh, she started. "It's really petty. I just found out I'm booked to lose the title again at Roadblock," the gleam in her eyes disappeared. "I mean, I love this whole rivalry with Charlotte and I'm not complaining that we're both getting these amazing opportunities to make history. But even you've got to admit that it's getting a little boring and predictable—her winning the belt at every pay-per-view only for me to win it back two weeks later at RAW. It cheapens the championship, and I just think that it could use a better storyline."

"In other words, you want to be a champion longer."

"Of course I want to be a champion longer. I want to hold it for as long as I can," she looked down. Her vanilla milkshake was almost gone. "I mean, there's only so much l can do in the company and I want to retire before I reach my plateau."

Seth looked at her crossly. "You're talking about retirement at 24? Are you kidding me, Banks?"

"Hey, it's different for you guys, okay?" she shrugged. "You guys don't have an expiration date like we do."

"Dear god, now we're talking eggs and pregnancy."

"Hey, you're not a very good listener, you know that?" Sasha frowned at him.

Seth felt bad and instinctively took her hand to get her to keep talking. "Sorry, I'm sorry," he shook his head. Sasha looked at their hands, her heart running all of a sudden, as he quickly pulled away. "You were saying?"

"Uh," she tried to get back on track. "Just that I know I'm still young but I eventually want to settle down and do exactly what Brie Bella did," she finished. "Anyway. There. I told you it was petty."

Seth chuckled, and shook his head. "No, it's not," he reached forward to pinch her cheek, to which she swatted his hand away. "Okay, look. About the championship? I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure they know what they're doing, and the title changing hands pretty often doesn't cheapen it. It only makes it more coveted," he pointed out. "You just need to trust in the process, Sash. And if we're talking storyline-wise here, at least you don't get sick of putting Charlotte in a Bank Statement. I'm just about done giving Jericho the Pedigree every week."

Sasha laughed softly at his comment. "I get it," he continued. "It can be frustrating sometimes—knowing how you can be on top today and suddenly demoted to mid-card tomorrow. I'll admit, I overthink it a lot. I've spent a number of sleepless nights wondering if I'll ever be champion again. Admittedly, I don't think it's happening anytime soon—not with this feud with Triple H. But you? You've got something incredibly special, Sash. So special that I promise you, the company wants to keep seeing more of it."

She smiled coyly at first, before it eventually reached her ears and turned into one of her heart-warming giggles. "Thanks, Seth. That means a lot coming from you."

"What did I say? I told you I got you," he raised his eyebrows at her and winked. "Look, I know Bayley's your girl, Charlotte's like an older sister, and you've got this brotherly relationship going on with Woods," he started. "But if you're up to it, you've also got The Man on your side, alright? I might be a little too talkative, and it doesn't mean I'll stop annoying you because I live for that shit, but I promise you that you'll never, ever get bored hanging out with me. Plus you get free milkshakes every now and then," he nodded towards her now empty glass.

"Whoopie, I still get that insufferable side of Seth Rollins," she answered sarcastically. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Ah, and there's the overly sarcastic Banks I know," he teased, finishing the last of his burger.

They stared daggers at one another, as a joke of course, before Sasha started what would have been their longest series of name-calling. "Jerk."

"Brat," Seth retorted.

"Immature."

"Gullible."

"Arrogant."

"Cry baby."

"Ugh," Sasha glared at him. She resented that label. "Belt Stealer!"

"Ouch, we're going there now, aren't we? You nerd."

"I'm a nerd?" Sasha pointed to herself. "Uh, Seth, I'm pretty sure that's you."

"Fine, we'll call it a tie. Because you've got that Sailor Moon thing going on, and that is pretty nerdy."

"Whatever, you have crap taste in music."

Seth laughed. "Careful, you just insulted Bayley, too."

"Don't tell her I said that," Sasha covered her mouth and snickered.

"Secret's safe with me…for now," he chuckled. "So uh, are we done here?" he raised an eyebrow, looking at their empty dishes.

Sasha nodded and made a move to stand up. "Yup. Thanks for the treat, CrossFit Jesus."

"Will you please stop calling me that?" he snapped, playfully pushing her outside the door and making their way over to the car.

"Sasha Banks wins this round!" she raised her hands while sticking her tongue out at him.

Unlocking the car door manually, Seth quickly entered and laughed as Sasha tried opening her side of the door. "Hey," she knocked loudly on the window. "Open this!"

"What's that, Banks?" he yelled from inside while starting the engine.

"Seth, this is not funny!"

He laughed out loud again, before reaching out to unlock her door. "You have a sick sense of humor, you know that?" Sasha said as soon as she entered, fastening the seatbelt.

"Nah, I just like to piss you off."

He began the quick drive to their hotel, parking the rental and helping Sasha take her gym bag out of the trunk. Just to tease him, she unzipped it and checked to make sure the belt was still inside. "Ha, ha. Real funny, Banks."

They walk together towards the elevators as Sasha pressed the button heading up. "Thanks again," she told him, hesitating at first but deciding to give him a light hug.

Seth hugged back the first few seconds before sneaking in a pinch to the side of her waist, causing Sasha to jump back and slap him on the shoulder (as usual). "Geez, you can't even give a decent hug goodnight."

Seth laughed. "I was kidding. Here, let's try that again," he said, suddenly pulling her towards him and giving a proper hug this time that they both lingered in.

When they pulled away, Sasha coughed and smiled coyly. "Uh, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sash," he winked.


	7. Chapter 7

December flew by quickly, with Roadblock being the last pay-per-view of the year. Sasha's match against Charlotte had main evented yet again, as the entire locker room watched backstage and felt the jitters. It was always exciting to watch the two women in the ring—they knew each other so well, sold spots and contorted their bodies frightfully, and catapulted their division on a level they never thought possible. When Ric Flair came out and caused Sasha the match, Seth took that as a cue and stood from catering, where he watched with Roman, Cesaro and Kevin. "Where are you going?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Where do you think?" Kevin smirked, as Seth rolled his eyes and kept walking, deliberately ignoring Roman's question.

He waited for her behind the curtains as she walked through them moments later—hair tousled, mascara running, lipstick smudged, and eyes a little droopy from exhaustion. Once in a while, she opened and closed her fist and he could tell something was wrong.

"Hey," he smiled, placing an arm around her shoulders. "You were great."

"Thanks," she tried to smile back but winced as she tilted her head to the side and cracked her neck.

"How's your hand?" he took it gently and checked for bruises. "I saw you take that nasty bump on the announcer's table."

"I just need to ice it down," she said, letting him lead her to the clinic.

Sitting on the clinic bed, Seth grabbed an ice pack and took Sasha's hand again, placing her hand on top before wrapping a towel around it. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she shrugged like it was nothing. "Charlotte will probably hold on to it for a while—then Bayley will come for it, and the three of us might have something for Mania."

"Think Charlotte will kill me if I tried to steal that thing?" he grinned, causing Sasha to laugh and smack him with her uninjured hand.

"Don't you dare, Rollins."

He chuckled. "I'm kidding," he said, adjusting the towel. "So, are you going home for the holidays?"

"Yeah, I'm actually leaving right after RAW tomorrow."

"Wait, you're skipping the company party?"

"Oh. Well, yeah. Was thinking of being a no-show this year."

"You can't do that."

"Of course I can."

"But you're the face of RAW."

"I already told Hunter—he said it was okay."

"Come on," Seth pouted, making her laugh. "Don't skip it."

"Why not?" she laughed again. "I don't think I'll be missing out on anything."

"Banks, stop it. You're going to the Christmas party. End of discussion."

She made a face and groaned. "Ugh, you're making me rebook my flight, buy a stupid dress, and find a ride to Detroit from Columbus."

"I'll pay for your rebooking fee, buy you a nice, stupid dress, and I'll be your ride from Columbus to Detroit—how about that?"

Sasha chuckled. "Why do you want me to come to this thing so bad?"

"Because," he shrugged. "It'll be boring without you."

"You mean you'll get bored because you'll have no one to make fun of."

"Actually, I was thinking we could people-watch and judge silently—together."

"Fine. I'll go," she sighed.

"That's the spirit," Seth grinned.

…

The company Christmas party took place on Wednesday that week, in the ballroom of The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Hotel. Sasha, Charlotte, Becky and Bayley helped each other get ready in Charlotte's suite—borrowing each other's makeup and taking turns either curling or ironing each other's hair. "Glad Rollins convinced you to go," Charlotte started, looking into the mirror to wear her earrings.

"Free flight, free dress, free ride—how could I refuse?" Sasha shrugged.

"Speakin' o' Rollins, you two seem pretty chummy these days," Becky smirked, spritzing perfume on her wrists and rubbing them together.

"He cut back on the teasing," she answered. "And he's been, uh, more tolerable since that night in Mexico."

Charlotte and Bayley made eye contact as Becky looked on curiously. "What night in Mexico?"

"I, uh, met a really cute guy who worked in pharmaceutical and he sort of spiked my drink," Sasha admitted shamefacedly. "Seth came in just in time to scare him off."

"Woah," Becky looked at Charlotte. "How did I not know this?"

Charlotte smirked at Sasha. "You know I was just about ready to scream my head at you the next day? Rollins walked up to me and requested not to bring up anything anymore—said it was the last thing you needed."

"That's sweet of him," Becky commented.

"He pretty much went up to everyone," Bayley snickered. "Told them to never ever mention it again."

"What's that spell in Harry Potter?" Charlotte asked.

"Obliviate!" Sasha giggled.

"Well then, he tried to obliviate everybody," Charlotte finished with a laugh.

"So what is going on?" Becky pressed, watching as Sasha removed the tag from the dress she ordered online and used Seth's credit card to pay. It was a teal, square-cut, neoprene dress that reached the floor—the back dipping low to reveal a bit of skin.

"Uh, nothing?"

"Do you want it to be something?" Bayley asked.

"Uh, no, Bay. That's you. Don't think I don't notice you trying to set me up with him."

Bayley laughed. "I'm not. I just think it's incredibly sweet—how he is with you."

"Seth and sweet don't go in the same sentence, dude." Sasha told her.

"You know that night after the incident? Why'd you think he ended up sleeping beside you?"

"Woah, wait. This is why I sometimes 'ate bein' on Smackdown," Becky interrupted. "I am never on the loop with these things!"

Charlotte laughed. "I almost forgot Rollins was in the room that night. So he slept on Sasha's bed the entire time?"

"Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face," Bayley told them. "He was scared shitless."

"Awww," Becky and Charlotte gushed together. "Sash, I think he genuinely might be into you," Charlotte grinned.

"Guys, stop. Just stop, okay?" Sasha shook her head. "We all know he can be a bit of a flirt."

"Dude, forcing you to come to the Christmas party and then going through all the trouble of rebooking your flight and buying you a dress? That's not flirting," Bayley pointed out.

"Can we just drop the topic, please," Sasha begged. As much as she wanted him to be into her, she would never admit it. It was easier to think that whatever Seth felt was platonic—that way, she'd never have to feel disappointed.

"Fine, dropping it now before you get all defensive," Bayley said, as Sasha scoffed.

They finished getting ready an hour later—glammed up and all set for a night of dinner, drinks and dancing with co-workers from within the ring, backstage, the Performance Center, and in their headquarters. Sasha had to admit—she was glad Seth convinced her to go, as this was the first time all Four Horsewomen were part of the main roster and not NXT.

They settled themselves in a table with Renee and Dean, Natalya and her boyfriend, R-Truth, and Goldust. Craning her neck, Sasha scanned the room, only to find Seth in a corner talking to Charly Caruso. She pursed her lips, but ignored the strange, tightening feeling in her chest.

"Champagne, Miss Banks?" a server approached their table and offered, as Sasha got a flute for herself.

"Thank you," she smiled politely at him, before taking a sip.

Sasha's eyes found their way back to Seth and Charly, who were both laughing and seemed to be in deep conversation. If there was anything happening between them, she wouldn't be surprised—Charly was a beautiful girl. But the idea of them together didn't sit well with her at all, even though she tried to convince herself otherwise.

After dinner and two more flutes of champagne, the four ladies made their way over to the dance floor. Sasha laughed as Bayley twirled her around a few times, before doing the same to her best friend. They took turns dancing with one another, before being joined by New Day.

"Hey," Sasha felt a warm breath in her ear, as she turned to find Seth smiling. He looked incredibly handsome in his all-black suit—she had to fight the blush that was creeping up.

"Hi," she smiled up at him.

"Can I steal you?" he grinned, placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her away from the dance floor.

They walked over towards the bar, as Seth ordered her a mojito and a glass of scotch for himself. "Where's your date?" Sasha asked him.

"What?" he laughed. "What date? I don't have one. What are you talking about?"

She shrugged and took a sip of her mojito instead. "Oh, I see," Seth smirked. "You're jealous I was talking to Charly—is that it?"

"What?" Sasha scoffed. "Of course not."

"Admit it, Banks."

"I was not jealous, Seth. You two just seemed real chummy, that's all."

"Meh, Charly's a beautiful girl but not exactly someone I would go for."

"Alright," she answered, taking another swig of her drink.

Seth eyed her up and down, the smirk coming back. "That the dress I bought you?"

Sasha grinned. "Yup. You were very generous."

"What's a few hundred dollars, if it'll make you look this enchanting?"

"Smooth," Sasha rolled her eyes, though she could feel the heat rising up her cheeks.

"I got you something, by the way," he spoke, hands in his pockets. "I mean, it's not with me right now. But it's something to feed your nerdy obsession."

"You got me something?" Sasha repeated. "Like a Christmas gift?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that," Seth shrugged.

"Oh," Sasha was genuinely surprised. "Thank you."

"Consider it the ultimate peace offering."

She smiled and pushed him lightly, earning a chuckle from Seth.

…

Sasha stifled a yawn, trying to keep herself awake as she half-dragged, half-rolled her suitcase to her apartment in Boston. It was almost 3 in the morning, and after trying to get out of the Christmas party (it took four attempts before her friends finally let her go), Seth had offered to drive her to the airport where she caught the next flight home.

"Good morning, Miss Banks," the security guard at the lobby greeted her. "You have a package waiting for you at the reception."

"I do?"

She walked over and the receptionist greeted her, before taking out a large box wrapped in green paper with a gold ribbon on top. There was no other label on the box, except for a white tag that had the words, "Merry Christmas, Nerd," written on it.

With a grin, she thanked the receptionist and headed up to her apartment in a hurry. Opening the gift on her dining table, the box burst with loads and loads of Sailor Moon merch—some of them were even limited edition or collector's items. There was the entire Sailor Moon Crystal Set in Blu-ray, solid replicas of the Cosmic Heart Compact, Rainbow Moon Chalice and Spiral Heart Moon Rod, a Crystal Star Jewelry Case, and a jewelry set of the Space-time Key, made with white gold and rubies. There was a necklace, a pair of earrings, a ring, and a bangle—that set alone must have been over $500.

"Oh my god," Sasha exclaimed, seeing all the items. Quickly fishing her phone out of her purse, she dialed for Seth. She wasn't going to wait until later to thank him.

"Hello?" his voice was groggy.

"Did you buy the entire merchandise collection at sailormooncollectibles?" Sasha laughed, still in disbelief at the amount of Sailor Moon stuff laid out on the dining table. "Dude, I know how much these cost. These must have been a fortune."

"Psh," Seth rubbed his eyes awake, the smirk on his face evident. "It wasn't that expensive."

"You are overcompensating," Sasha laughed, touching the pendant of the white gold necklace.

"I thought it might be fun to spoil you for once," he chuckled.

"Thank you," she smiled coyly. "This is really sweet of you."

"You're welcome, Banks. Glad you got home safe."

"Sorry for waking you. I'll let you get back to your beauty sleep."

"I know. You ruined a perfectly good dream. You couldn't even wait until it was a normal, godly hour to call."

"What can I say? I miss you already," she teased.

"You do?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, Seth. I was kidding. Goodnight."

"You wound me, Banks."

"Quit the dramatics. I'll see you at RAW next week. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Sash," Seth smiled genuinely. "I miss you already."

Sasha ended the call, unsure if she was going to roll her eyes or blush. Seth had that effect on her. Were Bayley, Charlotte and Becky right? Could Seth really be this into her?


	8. Chapter 8

It was always tough for Sasha to resume work right after the holidays—she hated leaving her mom on her own, despite assuring her that she would be okay. After losing her brother a few years ago, it had been just the two of them taking care of each other. Her mom worked as a nurse at their local hospital, and had good friends who always kept her company, but still—the thought of her living alone in the small house Sasha bought for her just a few months after she got called up to the main roster ripped her heart a bit. This was life on the road, and they both knew and accepted that.

With a sigh, she made her way towards the women's locker room. It was the Monday after Christmas, and people were still in cheerful spirits. She was a bit early, and had more than enough time to settle her things and grab dinner.

As expected, she was the only Superstar at catering along with a couple of members from the production crew. Taking a plate, she scanned the buffet and helped herself to some chicken and lasagna.

"Someone's early," she heard Seth's voice from behind.

"Hey, Seth," Sasha forced a smile, waiting as he took his own plate and filled it up with chicken wings, baked potatoes, and macaroni salad.

"How was your Christmas?" Seth asked her, leading the way to a table.

"It was good. My mom and I got to spend some quality time," she recalled the dinner they both cooked and spent eating in front of the TV, watching the latest season of Gilmore Girls.

"Same," Seth chuckled. "Kept beating Brandon and my step-dad at Mario."

"So competitive," Sasha chuckled.

"You okay?" he asked her. "You seem a little off tonight."

"Yeah, just tired I guess. What time did you get in?"

"I just drove here from Davenport. Arrived about twenty minutes ago. Are you sure you're alright?" he pressed, noticing that the usual gleam in her eyes wasn't quite there, and it bothered him.

"Yeah," she sighed again, before suddenly breaking down into tears. "I just miss my mom," she cried into her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh shit!" Seth stood up and rushed around the table towards her. "Uh," he scratched the back of his ear, before crouching down and rubbing Sasha's back gently.

"Sorry," she sniffed, wiping the tears with her hand and taking a napkin from the table to blow her nose. "Coming back from the holidays is always the hardest for me. I hate having to leave her on her own."

Seth smiled sympathetically. He knew about Sasha's family—how her mom raised them as a single mother, before her older brother got diagnosed with liver cancer and died just before he turned 20.

"How about a vanilla milkshake later tonight?" he offered, watching as her sobs lessened. "My treat."

"Sure," Sasha smiled through the tears. "Thank you."

He placed a hand on the back of her head, pushing it forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll meet you here after the show."

Later, when Sasha had changed out of her blue and pink wrestling gear and into leggings and a Dean Ambrose 'ugly' Christmas sweatshirt, Bayley and Charlotte entered the women's locker room looking for her.

"Hey, Sash. We're going out with New Day and some of the other guys tonight. You coming?"

"It's okay. Rollins owes me a milkshake."

"So you guys are going out?" Charlotte asked, fighting the smirk.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Just you two?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Is it like a date?"

"No!" Sasha glared at them, packing the rest of her stuff and zipping her bag close. "We're just hanging out. That's what friends do," she said with a huff before slinging her bag onto her shoulder and storming off to catering.

"What do you think is going on between those two?" Charlotte asked Bayley once Sasha left.

"I think they're both in serious denial."

"I would kill to be at wherever they'll be in tonight."

"Don't even think about it, Charlotte."

...

"What is it with you and putting over the weirdest merch?" Seth raised an eyebrow, eyeing her ugly sweatshirt.

She giggled. "What? It's comfy."

"How come you never put me over?"

"Then give me one."

"What? You mean to tell me the only reason you wear that shit is because Cena and Ambrose gave them to you?"

"Yeah," Sasha shrugged. "Hasn't anyone ever given you?"

"Uh, only Roman. But that's not counted. Why would they even give you their merch?!"

"Believe it or not Seth, but I'm actually a sweetheart."

Seth grumbled. Sasha had that kind of effect on all the male superstars—he wasn't sure if it was her hundred-watt smile, the sense of naivety she gave off, or how grounded she was despite living her dreams, but there was something about her that softened hearts and turned even the Lunatic Fringe into a generous, sweatshirt-giving person. Seth needed to fix the situation fast. Making a mental note, he would give her ALL of his merch; Black and Brave's included.

It took them a while, but they eventually found a place in Chicago that served milkshakes that late in the night.

"I'll have a strawberry smoothie and a tray of beef and cheese nachos," he told the waiter before looking at Sasha.

"I'll get a vanilla milkshake—extra thick, please."

"You're going to need an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow."

"Whatever, it's worth it."

He chuckled before leaning back against his chair. "So."

"So," she repeated.

"Got anything else you want to get off your chest?"

"Actually," Sasha pulled up her bag. "I got you something. Consider it a late Christmas gift."

Seth laughed. "You did?" he asked, leaning forward as he watched her take out a small box wrapped in silver and gold.

"Here," she handed it to him with a shy smile. "Open it."

Seth carefully opened the gift to reveal the latest Apple Watch Nike+. "Hey!" his eyes lit up, taking the watch out and wearing it on his wrist. "This is awesome!"

Sasha grinned, watching him tinker around with it. "I mean you got an iPhone and an iPad—figured you'd like that."

"I do!" Seth looked at her. She was still grinning, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and plant a kiss on her lips.

"Yay! Glad you like it," she beamed.

Their orders arrived a few minutes later as they both sipped on their drinks and helped themselves to some nachos. "Where are you spending New Year's?" he asked her.

"I'm actually going to be with Bayley. I got Maid of Honor duties."

"Oh yeah, wedding's in February, right?"

"Yeah. And there's so much to do," Sasha groaned. "Planning a wedding in two months while you're on the road is not easy. I don't know how she stays chill."

"Because it's Bayley."

"Yeah, well. As her best friend, I want the perfect wedding for her. I even recruited TJ to be my runner."

"TJ? Perkins?"

"Yeah, he's Aaron's Best Man. We've been helping each other out with all the stuff that's still needed."

"Oh," Seth nodded, unable to fight the tinge of jealousy. So TJ and Sasha had been hanging out? Well, it wasn't because she wanted to. It was because they needed to. Whatever, TJ wasn't really her type, right? No, that wasn't true. He'd seen her Tweets a few times—they even had photos together posted on his Instagram. "Hey, you know. If you need help with anything, I can be your runner, too."

Sasha snickered. "Thanks, Seth. I might just take you up on that."

The following Monday after New Year, RAW aired live in Tampa, Florida as Seth walked the halls of the arena in search of Sasha. He found her seated on one of the production crates, a notebook in her hand as she scanned a list of things still needed for Bayley's wedding. Beside her was TJ Perkins, scanning the list as well, and was sitting a little too close for Seth's liking.

"Hey, Sash," he smiled at her before nodding at TJ.

"Hi, Seth," she gestured for him to sit on the crate without looking up from the list. "TJ, you need to host. There's really no other option," she continued.

"I'll only host if you host with me," the half-Filipino said.

"Dude, you know I can't do it. I'll end up stuttering in front of everyone."

"Just think of it as a promo," he chuckled.

"No," Sasha pursed her lips, making TJ laugh, which annoyed Seth though he tried to hide it.

"Fine. I'll host," TJ agreed, taking the pen from Sasha's hand and crossing out the word "host" on the list. "What's next?"

"Neckties. That should be your job," Sasha took the pen back, scribbling TJ's name.

"Food tasting—how do we go about that?" TJ leaned in again, his chin almost resting on Sasha's shoulder, and Seth almost scowled.

"Ugh, that's going to be hard," Sasha rubbed her temple. "Bayley doesn't care—she'd probably send me to do it."

"I'll come with you," TJ shrugged. "We have a window tomorrow until Thursday. We can fly to Stamford tomorrow, and then fly to Georgia in time for the live show."

Sasha thought about it. It was a good window to take. "Yeah, that works."

"Can I come?" Seth suddenly interrupted. "I think I have a pretty reliable palate."

"Sure," TJ said before looking at Sasha. "We can use all the help we can get. Let's try to check off a few other things while we're there."

"Good idea," Sasha nodded, smiling up at Seth. "Welcome to the club."

...

Seth, TJ and Sasha arrived in Stamford the following afternoon. Booking an Uber, they headed towards the most convenient hotel, which was strategically located near all the places they needed to visit.

"What? You guys are in Stamford right now?" Bayley laughed. She was still back in Tampa having breakfast with Charlotte.

"Uh, yeah? Because you're not going to do any of this, dude. So you're welcome."

Bayley laughed. "Dude, just pick the safe ones."

"It's a wedding, Bayley. We can't have crap chicken as your food for the guests."

"You are way too invested in this."

"That's my job as your Maid of Honor!"

"I can't believe you even got Seth to come with you."

"Seth volunteered," Sasha handed him the phone. "Tell her you asked to come with us."

"Help me, Bestie," Seth pressed the phone to his ear. "Sasha's a slave driver," he said, causing Sasha to smack his shoulder while TJ laughed out loud.

"He's lying," Sasha took the phone back. "Anyway, I'll call you again. We're about to check in."

Rolling her suitcase towards the concierge, Sasha smiled at the lady behind the counter. "Hi. Can we get three rooms, please?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ma'am. We're quite booked for the next few days," the lady told her. "There's a huge business conference happening nearby and we're down to our last room."

"Fuck," Seth muttered.

"What we can do," the lady continued, "is upgrade the room to two queens."

Sasha looked to Seth and TJ. "Uh..."

"Just take it," Seth told her. "We're only here for a night anyway. Let's just figure out the sleeping arrangements later."

"Fine," she looked back at the lady. "We'll take it."

Bringing their bags up to the room, it was spacious enough for the three of them—except for the two queen beds issue.

"Okay, so you guys can take one bed and I'll take the other," Sasha took charge right away but Seth and TJ looked at each other awkwardly. If it was Roman, Dean or Cesaro, Seth would have been cool with it. But this was TJ—they barely knew each other. Even TJ looked like he felt uncomfortable with the idea.

"Why don't you just bunk in with me?" Seth suggested. "I'll give you enough space, I promise."

Sasha paused and thought about it, looking to TJ who seemed to like the idea better. At least he got a bed to himself. "Fine," Sasha said in defeat. "Let's go," she motioned, as they left the hotel again to visit the caterer Bayley had chosen.

The trip to the caterer was almost a disaster—the three of them couldn't agree on anything. After multiple phone calls with Bayley, with Sasha almost losing her mind, they finally finished two hours later and finalized the menu for the wedding. "What's the next stop?" Seth asked impatiently.

"We pick up the invites, buy the ties, and decide on the cake," Sasha double checked her list.

Seth chuckled. "Geez, is this your wedding or Bayley's?"

"I told you. Bayley doesn't care. She and Aaron have been together since forever. They just want this wedding to be over and done with."

"Hey, at least when it's your turn, you've got it all down, right?" TJ smiled at her.

"Ha. Right," she muttered under her breath.

"Come on, Sash. You're a beautiful girl. Bet you half the guys in the entire locker room would kill to marry a girl like you," TJ continued.

Seth tried not to scowl again. He'd have to kill half the guys in the locker room first before they even thought about getting together with her.

It was past dinner by the time they finished, and after grabbing a quick bite from McDonald's, they headed back to the hotel exhausted. Sasha called dibs on the shower first—she was thankful she had packed full pajamas instead of her usual shorts and a tank top. She closed the door to the bathroom, eyeing Seth as he leaned back on their bed and watched whatever TJ was watching.

"You okay with London Has Fallen?" TJ asked him, settling on the channel.

"Yeah, sure," Seth shrugged.

She emerged ten minutes later in her baby pink, Spirited Away pajamas as Seth stood and used the shower next. Taking a seat on her side of the bed, she looked to TJ who was leaning on the headboard of his.

"I'm so happy we finished everything," she spoke, pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"I know. Now all we've got to do is watch them get married," he snickered.

"Thanks for helping, TJ," she smiled at him. "I don't think I could have done this alone."

"I'm sure you would have managed," he assured. "Besides, you've got Seth."

She blushed a bit, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Wait a minute—is there something going on?"

"No!" She shook her head. "We just hang out a lot."

"Really? Because he looks at you like...I don't know," he shrugged.

"Like what?"

"Like he's in love with you."

"That's crazy," Sasha laughed and shook her head.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Seth doesn't seem like the type to do relationships, and honestly, I'm not sure I'm ready for one either."

"Can I give you an outsider's honest opinion?" TJ sat up. "Don't wait around too long. These are the kinds of life-changing moments you shouldn't miss out on."

TJ leaned back again when the bathroom door opened as Seth watched them curiously, dressed in athletic shorts and a worn out Black and Brave shirt.

Later that night, while TJ was snoring lightly, Sasha tossed and turned around in bed, finding it hard to fall asleep.

"Banks, I swear to god, I will push you off if you don't stop moving," Seth muttered to his pillow as he turned around and faced her.

"Sorry," Sasha whispered, turning to face him. "I think I might be overthinking the list."

"Relax," he grumbled with eyes closed. "You're doing an awesome job."

Sasha sighed, closing her eyes for the umpteenth time. It was useless. She was wide awake, as she hugged the extra pillow in between her and Seth. She opened her eyes to watch him, his eyebrows furrowed and chin tucked, snoozing peacefully.

"Seth," she whispered again, poking his cheek as he opened his eyes.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, nothing," she shook her head. "Forget it."

He sighed. "Spit it out. What's bothering you?"

Sasha was thankful it was dark otherwise he would have seen her as red as a tomato. "So, Bayley's wedding is on the 9th."

"Uhuh."

"And Charlotte's got a date, and Becky's bringing Luke."

She could feel the smirk forming on his face. "Uhuh, and?"

"So I was wondering," she paused, biting her lower lip. "I mean if you're up to it, and if you're not doing anything then, would you like to be my +1?"

His smirk turned into a genuine smile, and he pulled her close all of a sudden, wrapping an arm around her waist and placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'd love that, Sash."

"Yeah?" she smiled up at him.

"Of course," he kissed the top of her head this time.

She sighed in relief and closed her eyes, resting her head on the crook of his neck. Seth hugged her tighter, as she finally fell fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Sasha walked into the women's locker room two weeks later where RAW would be airing live from North Little Rock, Arkansas—and was surprised to find a huge box of Black and Brave and Seth Rollins merchandise stuffed inside one of her shelves. "What the hell," she laughed, scanning the contents and finding a hand-written note from Seth. "So you can put me over every single day. ;)"

"What's this?" Charlotte entered the room as well, glancing at the box and smirking. "Let me guess? Rollins?"

"Yeah, I think he took it too literally when I told him I'd only wear his merch if he gave me some. I didn't mean all," she laughed again, pulling out the Black and Brave leggings she jokingly requested from him on Twitter.

"Real subtle way of marking his territory, don't you think?" Charlotte grinned. She had to admit—she wasn't always particularly fond of Seth, given his history with women, but somehow, seeing his actions lately convinced her that his intentions for Sasha were genuine.

"Stop. No one is marking anybody," Sasha shook her head, closing the box.

"Sash," Charlotte sat down. "Talk to me—why are you so adamant about not having any feelings for Seth when it's clear you both have something for each other?"

"There's nothing, Char," Sasha said again. "Whatever it is you guys think, just stop."

"Point blank—do you not want to be with him?"

Sasha looked down. "I don't know, okay? My heart wants it, but my brain just says otherwise," she said softly. And it was true—she wanted nothing more than to be with him in that way, but a small part of her was scared he'd end up running.

Charlotte smiled sympathetically. "Look, I get where you're coming from. But babe, he's been nothing but good to you. And he tries really hard, you know? I don't think I've ever seen Seth that way before. Maybe you just need to trust him a bit more," she shrugged.

Later after the show, Sasha packed as much merch as she could into her bag before asking for an extra-large eco bag from one of the staff and packing the rest inside. Her conversation with Charlotte made her overthink a bit, and she was relieved she managed not to see Seth the whole night otherwise she would have been a stuttering mess.

Hurrying over to catering to catch a ride with New Day, she heard his playful voice from behind. "I just gave you an entire box of my merch, and you still won't put me over."

She turned around and laughed a bit, letting him take one of the bags. "You riding with New Day?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I was just on my way to catering."

"Don't. You already have a ride," he said, placing an arm around her shoulder and leading the way towards the parking lot. "You want to eat?" Seth asked as soon as they reached his rental, opening the trunk and placing their bags inside.

"Dinner? I'm still a bit stuffed from catering. How about dessert?"

"Hm, I'm not really feeling it tonight," Seth made a face.

"You're insane. You can never go wrong with dessert."

Seth chuckled. "How about drinks?"

"Okay, but where?"

"There's an Irish pub nearby. We can check it out."

"Sure," Sasha shrugged, though she was a bit nervous—remembering her conversation with Charlotte earlier but pushing it at the very back of her mind.

He drove them to Creegen's Irish Pub, ordering a pint of beer for himself and the usual mojito for Sasha. "So what's the color of your gown for Bayley's wedding?"

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Uh, eggshell yellow."

"What the hell kind of color is that?"

She fought the urge to snicker. "It's a pale kind of yellow. Why does it matter?"

"So I know what kind of necktie to wear," he shrugged, leaning back to take a long swig.

Sasha smiled—that was actually kind of sweet. The thought of them attending something formal together made her feel extremely giddy, and she couldn't help but blush. Seth always looked devilishly handsome in his suits.

"What are you smiling for?" he asked her, though his eyes had a gleam in them.

"Nothing," Sasha shook her head. "Just excited to see my best friend get married."

"You ever think about getting married?"

"Yeah, in five years maybe. Not right now. Do you?"

"Sometimes," he admitted. "I guess it's all about waiting for the right girl," he glanced at her quickly, coughing a bit. "What about you?"

"I guess you could say the same," she avoided his gaze. "Maybe date around first," she mumbled sheepishly.

For some reason, Seth didn't like hearing those words. He tensed up—jaw clenching as he looked at her curiously. "Are you seeing anyone right now?" he asked all of a sudden.

"What? No!" Sasha shook her head and laughed nervously.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Not even Perkins?"

"What?" Sasha hissed, narrowing her eyes. "What makes you think I'm seeing TJ?"

"I don't know—you tell me," his voice was cold as ice.

"Well, I'm not. TJ is sweet, but—"

"So you like him."

"What?!"

"Just admit it, Banks," he rolled his eyes. "You get all flirty when he's around."

"Where the heck is this coming from, and what the hell is with that attitude?" Sasha glared at him. "You're being so pissy," she told him, using a term he liked to use on her.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Will you just finish your drink?" he said impatiently, gesturing for a waiter to hand him their bill. When he paid for their orders, Sasha was forced to down the rest of her mojito as she followed him out of the pub with a huff.

The car ride to the hotel was uncomfortably silent, as they snuck furtive glances at one another. Sasha crossed her arms and looked out the window—she was definitely not at fault here. She couldn't even pinpoint where the conversation had gone wrong, before Seth went all hot-headed on her—like he had his period or something. The thought made Sasha snort, as she fought back a giggle.

"What the heck is so funny?" Seth asked defensively, as she glared at him again.

"Nothing," she answered. "Just drive."

"Wow," Seth glared back at her. "Yes, ma'am," he said sarcastically.

When they reached the hotel, Sasha slammed the car door a little too loudly as Seth rolled his eyes and watched her head up without another word, bags slung against her shoulders. He had to admit—he hated seeing her walk away without so much as an acknowledgment.

With a sigh, he headed up to his own hotel room. He let his jealousy get the best of him tonight, and it screwed up a perfectly good evening with Sasha. He'd have to make it up to her somehow.

…

A few days later, at a live show in Binghamton, Seth spotted Sasha alone at catering, reading a book. He sighed and walked over, taking a seat across from her. "Hey," he looked her up and down quickly—she was wearing the Black and Brave leggings he gave her, paired with a white tank top and an I'm A Hugger hoodie. "Still not putting me over, but I'll take it," he said, referring to the leggings she was wearing.

She scoffed at him without looking up, turning a page instead. "What makes you think I'd want to put you over after what you pulled last Monday?"

Seth wanted to groan—he almost forgot how savage Sasha could be. "Look," he started. "I was a real jerk, and I'm sorry."

She looked at him; her features softened a little. "What was up with you the other night?"

Seth hesitated. Did he want to be completely honest with her? A huge part of him wanted to just let it all out—tell her everything he felt about her. But the other part was scared shitless—not knowing where he stood with her. She did say she wanted to date around a bit—and to be honest, it hurt him a little that he might not even be an option for her, though she never said anything about closing her doors on him. Still—if they dated, he didn't want to share her with anyone else. If she would let him have her, he wanted to have all of her—exclusively, and with no other guy in the picture.

"It was just a weird night for me," he told her. "Can we forget about it? How can I make it up to you?"

Sasha shrugged, a little disappointed. It wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for, but she'll take it. For now. She hated fighting with him—hated tossing and turning in bed at the thought of them not talking. "I was supposed to have training with Ashley Horner tomorrow, but her son is sick, so I need someone to take her place," she started. "I've been doing dead lifts lately, and I wanted to take it up a notch at 220."

"Sure. You know I'm you're guy when it comes to that."

"Good. Pick me up at 8?"

"Oh, so I guess I'm the driver, too."

A small smile crept up Sasha's lips, as Seth smirked. "Why don't I throw in free breakfast while you're at it?" he teased.

Her smile broke into a full grin, as Seth's heart skipped. "I like the sound of breakfast," she nodded.

And so they were back to normal—normal in a weird sense that Sasha was no longer being cold or aloof, and Seth kept his temper and jealousy at bay. He picked her up at 8am sharp, before heading towards Gaslamp to start their workout.

Seth watched her carefully as she balanced herself and bent her knees, gripping the metal rod of the heavy weights. She looked so tiny to be carrying a 220, but she was tough, and he would never try to stop her from doing it—unless he had a death wish. But still—seeing her break a sweat and struggle made him a little too overprotective—like he just wanted to pick up the damn thing for her so she wouldn't have to.

After four more reps, he made her do additional workouts to further strengthen her quads and lower back, knowing full well these were her weak areas.

"You good?" he asked when she finished the last set, collapsing on the mat and almost panting.

"Yeah," she said out of breath. "That was such a challenge. Thanks, Seth."

He shrugged. "We should do this more often."

She smiled and agreed, telling him it was a different style from her usual workouts. After breakfast at a waffle house, they drove back to the hotel and grabbed their stuff before heading to the airport to fly to Dayton. Their schedules would be packed for the next two weeks, with live shows all around the country—Seth had invited her if she wanted to be his travel buddy.

"I might need to travel with Bayley sometimes," she told him. "Just so we can finish ironing out the last few details of the wedding."

"Oh," Seth said in a disappointed tone. "Well, whenever you can."

"Sure, I'd love that," she smiled at him, tip-toeing to give him a light kiss on the cheek.

…

To Seth's dismay, he rarely saw her during live shows and only got to catch up with her on Mondays before or after RAW aired. On the occasions that he did see her, he would treat her to their usual milkshake dates, getting her to tell stories about her week, how her mom was doing, or how planning Bayley's wedding was going. His favorite stories, he had to admit, were ones where she would talk about her childhood and all the things she used to do prior to getting signed as a WWE Superstar.

He discovered how much of a mama's girl she really was, that she had a lot of unresolved issues with her biological father (which actually explained a lot), that she often got anxiety attacks after her brother died, and that it was all of these disputes combined that made her such a private person. You couldn't even Google much about her personal life—mostly just her in-ring stints.

There were rare moments she opened up about her past relationships—she'd only dated a couple of guys, and had one serious one, who was a lot older than her—even older than Seth, and she was so blinded that she believed he would be the one person to change everything.

"What happened to that?" Seth asked while sipping on a banana smoothie.

"Well, I found out I was just one of three," Sasha rolled her eyes. "It was so dumb. My heart was so broken, I thought it would be the end of the world," she laughed at how dramatic she had been.

Seth chuckled. "We were all dumb at one point. I think my past two relationships can prove that."

Sasha swallowed. He had never really opened up about his past, though she had an idea. He had a girlfriend from college whom he was with up until he got signed, before cheating on her with an NXT Superstar, ultimately ending his relationship with the former after which he tried to make things work with the latter.

"I haven't seen you with anyone since Zahra," she told him.

"That's because I haven't been with anyone since then."

"You tried to make it work?"

"I did," he nodded. "But the more time I spent with her, the more I realized how different we really were."

"Do you regret leaving Layla?"

"To be honest? I don't," he shook his head. "If anything, it made me realize that instead of growing together, we'd grown apart—and the only reason we've stayed together for so long was because we were each other's firsts. I just tricked myself into believing we still had something in common."

Sasha nodded sympathetically as he continued. "If I could turn back time, the only thing I would have done differently was doing it right and ending things clean with Layla before I got together with Zahra," he shrugged. "But I didn't know any better back then."

...

A couple of weeks later, Royal Rumble aired at the Alamode Dome in San Antonio as Seth psyched himself up for the rumble. He would be coming in at 31 where he would then proceed to eliminate the likes of Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, and eventually be left in the ring with Triple H. It was a feud that they had been building up for a while now—a feud that would spill over until Wrestlemania, where Seth would be put in a triple threat match against Triple H and Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship. Nothing was set in stone yet, but he had been tipped that he would be winning the title then—finally giving him the Wrestlemania moment he wanted so badly to relive.

He paced around the large arena, jumping once in a while and stretching his legs and knees to get rid of the nerves. The weeks leading up to Wrestlemania always got them skittish—it was the biggest event of the year after all. All roads led to that one moment.

Reaching the very back of the arena, he heard familiar sobs coming from a dark corner. "Sash?"

She looked up at him, wiping her eyes and forcing a smile. "Hey, Seth," her voice croaked.

"Nervous about your match?" he walked over and hopped on the production crate she was on, placing an arm on her shoulders and letting her lean on him. They'd be having a separate rumble match for the women, and Sasha was set to go 2nd—she would then have to last until it was down to just her, Bayley, Charlotte and Becky—giving everyone the dream fatal four-way match they had wanted to happen for so long.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Just needed a good cry to get all the nerves out."

Seth placed a kissed on her temple and rubbed her shoulder. "It's alright."

Sasha looked up at him and smiled, as Seth ran his hand through her hair. Without really thinking, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She gasped at first, but eventually let Seth pull her close—hands on either side of her face, making the kiss deeper. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers as she kissed back, his beard scratching her chin. They stayed in that position for a while, before the wheels in Sasha's head started turning, causing her to overthink the situation.

She pulled back quickly, eyes wide as she stared at Seth, who looked a little hurt.

"I have to go," she hopped down fast, avoiding his gaze, as she made a move to leave.

"No, wait," Seth grabbed her arm. "Let's talk about this. I think this conversation is way overdue."

"There's nothing to talk about, Seth," Sasha said softly, shaking her head and pulling her arm away. "Can we just get through the night?"

"Okay, but there's no way you're avoiding this."

"That kiss doesn't mean anything, okay?" she said in a hurry, before turning around to run away.


	10. Chapter 10

The following Monday at Laredo, Bayley and Charlotte sat in front of Sasha at the hotel cafe, sipping on lattes as they asked her to retell for the third time the events that transpired the previous night.

"Let me get this straight—Seth kissed you, and you ran away," Bayley repeated. "He kissed you, you said it didn't mean anything, and you ran away. Are you insane?!"

Sasha winced and looked down guiltily—it was unusual for Bayley to raise her voice and be upset over something and clearly, the normally cool and collected bride-to-be was anything but. "How could you do that?!"

"I don't know," Sasha ran her hand through her hair and sighed. Did she really mess up that badly?

"Babe, you're the one who keeps telling yourself you're scared he'll run. But by the looks of it, you're the one running—and to be honest, I don't really understand why."

"Because he's Seth!" Sasha answered.

"Bullshit. It's not because it's Seth—it's because you've got issues with every single guy who's tried to get with you because they genuinely like you. When will you get over the fact that not everyone is like your dad, and that they're not going to abandon you just like that?" Bayley almost bellowed.

Sasha fought back the tears—the last thing she needed was for her best friend to go there.

"Sorry," Bayley muttered. "I didn't mean to bring that up."

"Look," Charlotte tried to ease the tension and took Sasha's hand. "We just want you to be happy, okay? Clearly, Seth makes you happy."

Sasha shook her head. "I just don't know if I'm ready to be there right now."

"What happens when he decides to find someone else? What are you going to do?"

Sasha fell silent and imagined it. She couldn't stomach the thought of Seth with anyone else. She remembered that night she saw him laughing with Charly, and she hated it. Hated it so much, it made her feel sick. How would she feel if he suddenly decided to go for someone else because she was a mess?

"I'll talk to him," Sasha said, trying to form the words in her head. She had to make it right.

Later that night, Sasha walked around the halls in search of Seth. She started with catering and worked her way back, spotting him doing leg stretches while talking to Charly, who sat on a production crate. They were laughing about something, and Charly playfully twirled her hair around her finger, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at him. Sasha's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as she quickly and silently turned around to walk away.

"How was your talk?" Bayley asked when they got back to their hotel room after the show. Sasha was already lying in bed playing a game on her phone, as Bayley sat on her own bed and continued to dry her hair.

"Oh," Sasha looked up from her phone. "I never got around to it."

"What? Why not?"

"I couldn't find him"

"Sash. Stop lying."

Sasha sighed. "I saw him talking to Charly, and I froze. So I ran away...again."

"Jesus," Bayley muttered. Was it considered an abuse if she made a move to pull her best friend's purple hair and hopefully that would talk some sense into her? Get her to realize what was right in front of her?

The rest of the week went by fast, and Bayley had only one thing on her mind—and it wasn't even her own wedding. Spotting Seth lifting some weights at one of the local gyms in Portland, where RAW would be airing later that evening, she finished the last set of her power planks and walked up to him.

"Hey, Bestie," she smiled at him, as he dropped the barbell and nodded.

"Hey!"

"Got a minute?"

"Sure," they walked over to a bench. He took a bottle of water from a tray and offered another to her.

"Thanks," Bayley took it. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Sasha."

"I figured this would be about her."

"She has a bad habit of saying the exact opposite of how she feels. It's her defense mechanism—a weird, twisted way to protect herself and cope with her issues."

Seth nodded as Bayley continued. "The truth is—I've never seen her so happy. I see how she is with you, and it doesn't take much to construe how she really feels."

"I don't know," Seth hesitated. "She was pretty clear about it two weeks ago. Said our kiss meant nothing. I figured she just enjoyed the attention and company, but wants nothing to do with the commitment."

"I know Sash better than anybody. She's just scared."

"Of what? Me?"

"Not you. She just doesn't have the best track record when it comes to men, and the idea of being with someone in that way scares the shit out of her. It's not about not wanting you."

Seth sighed. "I'm not so sure about that."

Bayley patted his back and made a move to stand. "Just don't give up that easily," she said. "I'll see you at my wedding?"

Seth smiled apologetically. "We'll see, alright?"

The truth was—Seth still badly wanted to go. He'd picked out the perfect tie to go with Sasha's stupid eggshell yellow dress. He had planned on picking her up so they could fly to Stamford together. He even ordered a simple corsage from a local flower shop to give to her—but because of recent events AND the fact that she hadn't even made an attempt to talk to him when the ball was in her court, he had lost all hope. Maybe it was best he didn't go anymore.

The following morning, Bayley, Sasha, Charlotte, and TJ took the first flight out to Stamford—Becky would follow right after Smackdown later that night as the wedding would take place in two days. Bayley's nerves started kicking in but fortunately for her, Sasha had taken care of everything and all she really needed to do was get her hair and makeup done, slip on her dress, walk down the aisle, and marry her tag team partner in life.

"Where's Seth?" TJ asked, placing his sunglasses on his head as an Uber drove them to the hotel nearest to Aaron's house. "I thought he was coming?"

"Is he not?" Charlotte's eyes widened, looking at Sasha.

"I don't know," Sasha shrugged. "We haven't spoken since that night."

"What?!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Sasha, this has gone too far. You don't even know if your date is coming? What happened to talking to him?"

"Wait, what night?" TJ looked lost.

Sasha sighed. "Right before my match at Royal Rumble. I was, uh, having a slight meltdown and we kissed."

"Wow," TJ was genuinely surprised. "And that's bad because?"

"Because she walked out on him and said it didn't mean anything," Bayley said in a disappointed tone.

"What?!" he looked to Sasha. "Tell me that's not true—you two have been doing the googly eyes with each other since the last time we were here. I mean, I even woke up to you two hugging in your sleep," he snickered as he remembered that morning.

"Can we just—focus on the wedding first and deal with my personal life after?!" Sasha exclaimed in frustration. She was getting tired of hearing everyone's disappointment. She fucked up big—she knew that. If Seth wasn't coming to Bayley's wedding, that was all on her. She'd have time to sort out her feelings eventually, but right now, she genuinely just wanted to channel all her time and energy on making sure Bayley's wedding went smoothly.

"Sash," Bayley said softly. "You can't avoid this forever."

"I know," she looked down, breathing deeply to stop the tears from falling. If she had to be completely honest, the wedding proved to be the greatest distraction from what was happening between her and Seth. But once this was over, she knew she'd have to face it eventually. The problem was—would it be too late?

…

They couldn't have asked for a more perfect weather the afternoon of Bayley's wedding. True to her word, Sasha had been all over the place—making sure every minor setback and last-minute changes were ironed out so that her best friend need not worry about anything.

The ceremony and reception were both held in the large backyard of Aaron's rustic-themed home, complimenting the charming motif of their garden wedding. There was a circular canopy that was dressed in vines and orchids, where the bride and groom would stay. Surrounding the canopy were wooden picnic tables for the guests, adorned with tea candles, white carnations and framed quotes from movies and songs that the couple both loved.

Sasha sighed in relief as she watched everything unfold. Everything was perfect.

"Sash?"

She turned around to find TJ looking very dapper in a khaki suit. "The bride wants to see you," he smiled, eyeing her quickly. The bustier style of her dress complemented her curves really well, while showing off the natural glow of her olive skin. Her hair fell in big waves, and she kept her makeup simple—focusing more on bold brows and lashes, and keeping her lips toned-down in a neutral shade; a far cry from her usual red lipstick in the ring. "Don't worry—I'll take shift. Make sure nothing goes wrong," he winked, watching as she started making her way towards the house.

"Thanks, TJ."

"You look very beautiful, by the way," he told her genuinely. "I wish Rollins was here to see it."

She smiled back sadly before heading up to one of the guest rooms where Bayley was getting ready. "Come in!" Bayley said as soon as Sasha knocked on the door.

"Hey," Sasha greeted, watching as Bayley attempted to zip the back of her A-line dress. "Here, let me get that."

"Thanks," Bayley smiled at her.

"You nervous?" Sasha laughed softly.

"Not really," Bayley grinned. "I just can't wait to marry Aaron already. I mean, it's been 7 years. It's about time we did this."

Sasha chuckled, adjusting Bayley's dress and making sure she looked perfect.

"I wanted to thank you, by the way. Like, really thank you," Bayley started, turning around to face her best friend. "You've been so wonderful throughout this whole thing. I don't think any of this would have been possible if it wasn't for you," she teared up a bit.

"Don't!" Sasha laughed, holding back the tears as well. "You'll ruin both our makeup!"

Bayley giggled, enveloping Sasha in a hug. "I got you something."

Walking towards an antique dresser, Bayley pulled open a drawer and took out a white box. "It's just a little token from me and Aaron."

Sasha opened the gift to find a Pandora bangle. "Aw, Bay. This is beautiful," she smiled, taking it out of the box and wearing it on her right wrist. "Thank you."

Bayley smiled and placed an arm around her. "Before we head out, I just wanted you to know that I tried talking to Seth the other day."

Her heart skipped a beat. "You did?"

"Yeah. I've got to tell you—that kiss meant everything to him."

Sasha looked down sadly. "It meant everything to me, too," she almost whispered.

"Don't look so defeated, dude. Doesn't mean he's not here, that you can't fix things anymore."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Sasha replied almost too bitterly, remembering how he and Charly had begun hanging out.

"Stop," Bayley nudged her. "Now come on. I've got a wedding to get to."

"Let's go get you married," Sasha giggled, pushing thoughts of Seth to the side, linking her arm with Bayley's, and walking out of the room.

…

The guests all stood up as the tune to the bridal march began. Sasha watched from the canopy's platform, failing miserably at holding back tears of joy as Bayley emerged with the biggest smile on her face, walking down the aisle slowly. Across from her, Aaron and TJ stood side by side, as Aaron watched his bride in awe.

As Bayley reached the canopy, everyone sat back down and the ceremony began. Sasha glanced around once in a while as she stood right next to Bayley. At one point, her eyes landed on Charlotte and Becky, who were both grinning at her from ear to ear. She furrowed her brows at them before turning her attention back to the bride and groom.

"And with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the pastor said into the microphone. "You may now kiss the bride."

Bayley grinned as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Aaron, melting into a slow, loving kiss. Everyone else cheered and clapped their hands for the newlyweds, before getting ready to take pictures. Sasha walked quickly towards her table with Becky and Charlotte, who were still grinning at her like fools. "Ey Sash," Becky greeted too cheerfully.

"Am I missing something here?" she asked.

"I was hoping you'd miss me," said a familiar drawl from behind.

Sasha slowly turned around to find Seth Rollins in a black and white suit paired with an eggshell yellow necktie. He had a small smirk on his face, his hair was tied in a neat man bun, and he had never looked more handsome than in that moment.

"Seth?"

"I, uh," he scratched the back of his ear. "I couldn't just ghost you like that," he walked up to her with the corsage in his hand as he carefully tied it around Sasha's left wrist.

Sasha jumped up and wrapped her arms around him; a giant grin on her face. He smiled and enveloped her in a tight hug, breathing in the scent of her green tea perfume. His heart pounded against his chest in a happy rhythm, and all he wanted was to be with her in that way, if she'd let him.

"Why don't you two catch up?" Charlotte suggested with a knowing smile on her face. "We'll take care of your duties first," she finished with a wink, taking Becky's arm and walking over to where Bayley and Aaron were busy taking photos with guests.

Seth smiled and intertwined his hand with Sasha's, leading her to the side of the backyard with two swings that hung from a giant oak tree. "You look really beautiful, Sasha. I'm glad I caught a flight in time."

She blushed, and looked down. "I'm sorry about that night," Sasha started, slowly pushing herself forward to move the swing. "I meant to talk to you and tell you I didn't mean to say those words—but I saw you with Charly, and I don't know. I ran. Again."

"Oh, Sash," Seth leaned forward and lifted her chin, finding her pout so endearing that he just wanted to kiss it away. "You don't have to worry about Charly or anyone."

Sasha sighed. "I'm just…really scared, you know?"

"I know," he replied, taking her hand again and planting a kiss on top of it. "I just need you to trust me. I'm not going anywhere, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you," he assured, rubbing his thumb on her hand in a comforting manner. "I mean, I'm here now. I needed to somehow show you that what I feel is genuine. And you'll never have to worry about me running. Ever."

She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."

"Okay?"

She pushed the swing sideways closer to him and grinned before leaning in to place a soft kiss on his lips.


	11. Chapter 11

EPILOGUE

9 Months Later

Sasha sat on the floor of Seth's living room, wearing his newest merch sweatshirt, jogging pants, socks, and beanie. It was -3 Celsius outside, and his heater was acting up—forcing her to dress in such attire. Or she just really wanted an excuse to put him over.

She was busy setting up their game of Golden Deuce, where for some reason, Seth kept beating her. "It's an Asian game! How can you beat me in an Asian game?!" she said when he won for the 4th time that day.

It was one of those weeks where they had some downtime, and Seth had invited her over to stay for a few days. They did it pretty often—he liked bringing her to the academy where she often helped with his students, his parents loved having her for dinner all the time, she got along really well with his brother, and his friends enjoyed letting her join beer pong night at their favorite local bar. It was like she naturally fell into place with his family and friends.

Sometimes, he stayed at her apartment in Boston, too. He loved hanging out with her mom—she was actually much cooler than he imagined. But though he enjoyed being in Boston and getting to know her hometown, he realized how busy her mom actually was with her group of friends. He sometimes felt a little bad that Sasha appeared to be the clingier one in the mother-daughter relationship.

"Okay, here we go," Seth returned to his living room with two mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows. He leaned in to give Sasha a kiss before they started another game. After another two rounds with Sasha losing both, she gave up and threw her hands in defeat. "Ughhhh," she groaned in frustration, causing Seth to cackle.

"Come here," he pulled her into his lap, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. She deepened it immediately, placing both hands on the side of his cheeks and moaning softly. "I love you," Seth whispered, taking her by the waist and gently laying her on the couch before climbing on top.

"I love you too," she whispered back, pulling him in again for another kiss.

"Hey," Seth brushed back a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Uh oh," Sasha furrowed her brows. "Did I forget to put the toothpaste cap back on again?"

"No," he chuckled, shaking his head. All of a sudden, Sasha's phone started ringing as she reached for it from the coffee table.

"Hm, it's Bayley," her best friend's face popped up on the screen, as she answered the call. "Hello?"

"Dude, you will not believe what I'm just about to tell you."

Sasha immediately sat up, causing Seth to almost fall off the couch. "Oh my god, what?"

"Are you sitting down?" Bayley giggled. "You might want to sit down for this."

"Dude, just tell me!"

"Okay, fine," Bayley couldn't contain her excitement any longer. "I'm pregnant, dude!"

"WHAT?!" Sasha exclaimed; her grin reaching from ear to ear. "Get out of here! No way!"

"Yes way! Baby is due in June, so I'm flying home at the end of the month. I just need to finish up a few interviews and appearances, but I already told Hunter and I'll be out until further notice."

Sasha's heart was elated but she suddenly stopped when she realized she'd no longer be travelling with her best friend—at least for now. "Wait, so you're leaving!"

"Yeah, I can't exactly wrestle with a baby in my belly. But I'll come visit whenever I can."

"Wow, Bay. This is just…unbelievable," Sasha shook her head with a smile, lacing her free hand with Seth's as he watched her curiously.

"I know," Bayley chuckled. "We've wanted this for so long. I love wrestling, but you know me. Aaron and I have always wanted to start a family."

"Yeah," Sasha nodded, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. It was a bittersweet feeling. "Man, I can't wait to see you so I can give you a proper hug."

"You do know you'll be the godmother, right?"

That did it for Sasha as she started bawling, causing Seth's eyes to widen. "Oh my god, Bay. You know I'll spoil that kid silly."

Bayley laughed. "I can already imagine. Listen, I have to go. I'll see you soon, alright? I just wanted you to be one of the first to know."

"I love you, babe. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Sash," Bayley smiled. "I love you, too."

As soon as the call ended, Sasha wrapped her arms around Seth tightly and squealed. "Bayley's pregnant, and I'm going to be the godmother!"

"Wow!" Seth exclaimed. "Get out of here. That is awesome!"

"I know," Sasha gushed, pressing her cheeks. They were beginning to feel numb from all the smiling. "Anyway, you were saying something?"

"Nah, it can wait," Seth smiled, pulling her towards him and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

The truth was—he wanted to ask her to move in with him. It was all he could think of the last few weeks, and it made him incredibly nervous. This was Sasha he was talking about, and he had never been more sure about anyone. Sure, they were frenemies for the longest time before they got together after Bayley's wedding and since then it was nothing but pure bliss for both of them. Occasionally, they fought and argued just like any other couple—but Seth always made it a point to never go to sleep without fixing the issue at hand. Sasha was everything he could ever want and more, and he wanted to take it a step further—but was he being too fast? Would she be ready to move in with him?

A couple of weeks later, he sat backstage and watched an on-going segment between Sasha and Liv Morgan. He spotted Bayley, who had begun zipping up her jackets over her gear to hide the growing belly during interviews. "Hey," he nodded at her, gesturing for her to join him.

"Hey Seth," she smiled and took a seat beside him, placing her hands inside the pockets of her jacket.

"How's it going, mom?"

"Pretty excited to know the gender actually," she grinned.

"Hey, listen. I wanted to ask your advice about something."

"Wow, look at us. We've come such a long way. You're asking me for advice now," she giggled, giving his shoulder a light punch.

Seth chuckled and sighed. "I want to ask Sasha to move in with me."

"Woah," Bayley's eyes widened. "For real?"

"What do you think?" he asked nervously.

"I say just go for it," she shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"If she says no, it will."

"But what if she says yes?"

Seth sighed again. "I just don't want her to freak out. You know how she gets."

"Seth," Bayley placed a hand on his shoulder to assure him. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

…

Seth unlocked the door to his house a few days later and switched on the lights. He flew in earlier than Sasha did, and told her he'd pick her up at the airport as soon as her flight arrived. He looked around the place—it was big and had a modern, elegant taste to it. But he needed to make a few adjustments.

Pulling out a Women's Championship belt with Sasha's autograph, he placed it on the coffee table in the living room and got to work.

A few hours later, Seth opened the main door for Sasha and led her inside. Placing her bags in the kitchen counter, he motioned for her to follow him to the living room. "I have a surprise for you."

"What's this?" Sasha laughed, seeing one of the walls of Seth's living room where he initially had a replica of a signed World Heavyweight Championship and a US Championship framed and hung, while beside it was a framed photo of him holding both. Right below it was the Women's Championship with her signature, and beside it was a framed photo of the first time she won it.

"Oh, just a little project I started," he grinned, placing an arm around her. "You like it?"

"You're missing the Tag Team Championship with Roman," she pointed out, moving closer to take a look at her championship.

"Meh, I'm working on it," he shrugged, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Want to hear something funny?"

"What?"

"That's the exact belt I accidentally stole from you a year ago," he chuckled, kissing her cheek.

"You did not accidentally steal it. You did that on purpose," she laughed, smacking him playfully. "How'd you manage to get that one?"

"Do you really have to ask?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Right, because you're Seth Freaking Rollins."

"Come here," he pulled her to the couch, letting her sit on his lap. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is this the same thing you wanted to tell me two weeks ago?"

"Yeah actually," he brushed her hair back and smiled nervously. "I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me."

"Oh," Sasha was a bit surprised.

"Like, I know you love your apartment in Boston and I'm not saying you should get rid of it. You can always have it rented out, or I don't know. But we can still visit your mom as often as you want, and I can have everything you need done to the house. I can have it renovated, and maybe add a walk-in closet if that's what you like—and we can even get another dog so Kevin will have a playmate, and—"

"Seth!" Sasha laughed, placing her hands against his bearded cheeks. "I'd love to."

"Really?" his eyes lit up, and he pulled her in for a kiss. "Thank god!" he laughed his nerves away while crushing Sasha in a bear hug.

She laughed at him and kissed him again. "I love you, Seth."

"And I freaking love you, Sash."

THE END


End file.
